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LIFE 

OF 

SAINT  CECILIA 

VIRGIN  AND  MARTYR. 


REVEREND  PROSPER  GUERANGER, 

abbe'  de  solesmes. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH. 


Cantantitnis  organis,  Coecilia  Domino  decantabat  dicens :    Fiat  cor  nieum 
immaculatum  ut  non  confundar. — Offic,  S.  Cmcelia,  V.  A.  M. 


•0^ 


PHILADELPHIA. 

FETEK  P.  CUNNINGHAM,  Catholic  Bookseller, 

216  South  Third  Street. 

1866. 

V 


ft 


PERMISSU   SUPERIORUM. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Conrress  in  the  year  1866,  by 

PETER  F.  t.tjnmNGHAM, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Distrct  Jjourt  of  the  United  States, 

in  and  for  the  Eastern,  Djrtsirict  of  Pennsylvania. 

Stereotyped  by  Theodore  Brown,  605  Sansom  street,  Philadelphia. 


PKEFACE. 


In  offering  to  the  American  public,  a  translation 
of  the  life  of  St.  Cecilia,  by  the  learned  and  labori- 
ous Dom  Prosper  Gueranger,  the  publisher  feels 
assured  he  has  made  a  valuable  addition  to  our  too 
narrow  circle  of  Catholic  literature. 

The  Church  offers,  in  every  age,  in  her  Saints, 
Apostles,  and  Martyrs,  brilliant  examples  of  virtue, 
zeal,  and  heroic  courage.  While  all  are  holy,  there 
are  still  some,  whose  lives  present  features,  at  once 
so  touching  and  sublime,  that  time  can  detract 
nothing  from  the  interest  which  attaches  to  their 
names  in  every  Catholic  heart.  Pre-eminent  among 
these,  is  St.  Cecilia,  the  gentle  queen  of  Sacred 
Song,  distinguished  alike  for  her  attachment  to 
holy  Virginity,  her  apostolic  zeal,  and  the  "un- 
faltering courage  by  which  she  won  the  martyr's 
crown. 

The  author  has  followed  with  fidelity,  the  ancient 
Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  the  authenticity  of  which  the 
reader  will  find  satisfactorily  defended  in  his  pages. 
For  less  important  details,  he  has  claimed  the  right 
generally  accorded  to  historians,  of  receiving  prob- 

(iii) 


iv  PREFACE. 

able  evidence,  where  certain  proofs  cannot  be  ob- 
tained. On  such  authority,  he  has,  for  example, 
assumed  with  the  learned  Bosio  and  others,  that 
the  virtues  of  our  Saint  formed  the  crowning  glory 
of  the  illustrious  family  of  Cecilia  Metella.  The 
recital  does  not  terminate  with  the  death  of  Cecilia. 
The  discoveries  of  her  tomb,  in  the  ninth  and  six- 
teenth centuries,  form  not  the  least  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  work.  The  description  of  the  church 
which  was  once  her  dwelling,  and  the  witness  of 
her  sufferings  and  triumphs,  brings  those  scenes  so 
vividly  before  us,  that  Cecilia  seems  to  belong,  as 
all  the  Saints  of  God  most  truly  do,  as  much  to 
our  own  day,  as  to  the  period  when  she  still  com- 
bated on  earth. 

We  will  not  speak  of  the  pleasure  and  instruction 
the  author  has  afforded  by  his  faithful  pictures  of 
the  celebrated  Ways  of  Ancient  Kome,  and  the 
sacred  cities  of  the  dead,  concealed  in  the  holy 
shades  beneath.  Fortius,  and  much  other  interest- 
ing information,  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  follow- 
ing pages,  content,  if,  by  our  own  humble  labors, 
we  have  contributed  to  the  edification  of  our  Catho- 
lic brethren,  and  to  the  glory  of  Him  who  is  admi- 
rable in  His  Saints. 

The  American  Publisher. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

PREFACE 3 

CHAP.  I.  Alexander  Severus.  His  Education.  Tendency  to  Christian- 
ity.    Defects  of  Character 9 

CHAP.  II.  Dispositions  of  the  Magistrates  of  the  Empire  with  regard  to 
Christianity.  Ulpian.  Unceasing  trials  immiuent  for  the  Christians  of 
Rome 15 

CHAP.  III.  Martyrs  under  Alexander  Severus.  Situation  and  solicitude 
of  Pope  St.  Urban.    Progress  of  Christianity  in  Rome 21 

CHAP.  IV.  Saint  Cecilia.  Family  of  the  Cecilii.  The  Appian  Way  in 
the  Third  Century 28 

CHAP.  V.  House  in  which  Cecilia  passed  her  youth.  She  consecrates  her 
virginity  to  God.  Her  parents  promise  her  in  marriage.  Valerian  and 
Tiburtius » 62 

CHAP.  VI.  Anxiety  of  St.  Cecilia  at  her  approaching  union  with  Valerian. 
Celebration  of  the  marriage.  Confidence  reposed  in  Valerian  by  Saint 
Cecilia 58 

CHAP.  VII.  Valerian  repairs  to  Pope  Saint  Urban.  He  is  baptized.  His 
return.     Arrival  of  Tiburtius 68 

CHAP.  VIII.  Interview  of  Tiburtius  with  St.  Cecilia  and  Valerian.  His 
conversion  and  baptism 75 

CHAP.  IX.  Alexander  Severus  leaves  Rome.  Violence  exercised  aeainst 
the  Christians.  Valerian  and  Tiburtius  are  summoned  before  the  Prefect 
of  Rome.    Interrogatory  of  Tiburtius...., 89 

CHAP.  X.  Interrogatory  of  Valerian.  The  two  brothers  are  condemned 
to  death 96 

CHAP.  XI.  Conversion  of  Maximus,  Notary  of  Almachius.  Cecilia's  inter- 
view with  her  husband  and  brother.  Martyrdom  of  Saints  Valerian  and 
Tiburtiui 108 

5 


6  CONTEXTS. 

PAGE. 
CHAP.  XIT.     Martyrdom  of  St.  Maximus.     Almachius  sends  for  Cecilia, 
and  urges  her  to  sacrifi>e  to   the  idols.      She  refuses  and  converts    the 
Envoys  of  the  Prefect.     The  Virgin  appears  before  the  Tribunal  of  Al- 
machius   HO 

CHAP.  XIII.     Interrogatory  of  St.  Cecilia 117 

CHAP.  XIV.     Martyrdom  of  St.  Cecilia 124 

CHAP.  XV.     Martyrdom  of  St.  Urban.     Pontificate  of  St.  Pontxanus.   Death 

of  Alexander  Severus 131 

CHAP.  XVI.  Zeal  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs  in  collecting  the  Acts  of  the 
Martyrs.    The  Memory  of  St..  Cecilia  preserved  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Her  Basiliaa .  139 

CHAP.  XVII.  Compilation  of  the  Acts  of  S.  Cecilia,  in  the  Fifth  Century, 
in  their  present  form.     Motives  of  this  compilation.     Canon  of  Pope  St. 

Gelasius  upon  the  use  of  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs 150 

CHAP.  XVIII.     Testimonies  of  the  Liturgies  of  the  West  in  favor  of  the 

Acts  of  St.  Cecilia 158 

CHAP.  XIX.    The  Appian  Way  from  the  Fourth  Century  to  the  Ninth 167 

CHAP.  XX.    Events  relating  to  St.  Cecilia  and  her  Church  throughout  the 

Seventh  Century 176 

CHAP.  XXI.  Events  relating  to  Cecilia  and  her  Basilica  throughout  the 
Seventh  and  Eighth  Centuries.    In  the  Seventh,  the  bodies  of  the  Martyrs 

are  disentered  and  translated  to  the  Churches  of  Rome 189 

CHAP.  XXII.     Discovery  of  Cecilia's  body  by  Pope  St.  Paschal 198 

CHAP.  XXIII.  Translation  ot  the  bodies  of  Saints  Cecilia,  Valerian,  Tibur- 
tius,  Maximus,  Urban,   and  Lucius.    St.  Paschal' s  munificence  towards 

the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia 210 

CHAP.  XXIV.  Confirmation  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  by  the  cirum* 
stances  attending  the  discovery  of  her  body.     Digression  upon  the  Relics 

of  St.  Cecilia 220 

CHAP.  XXV.  Events  relating  to  Cecilia  in  her  Basilica  throughout  the 
course  of  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Centuries.     Homage  rendered  to  Cecilia  in 

the  Greek  Liturgy 228 

CHAP.  XXVI.  Events  relating  to  St.  Cecilia  and  her  Basilica  throughout 
the  Eleventh,  Twelfth,  Thirteenth,  and  Fourteenth  Centuries.  Venera- 
tion paid  to  the  Roman  Virgin  in  France 234 

CHAP.  XXVII.  Events  relating  to  Cecilia  and  her  Basilica  throughout  the 
Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  Centuries,     Homage  paid  by  literature  and  the 

Arts  to  the  Roman  Virgin 246 

CHAP.  XXVIII.     Cardinal  Paul  Emilius  Sfondrato.     His  devotion  to  Saint 

Cecilia.     His  discovery  of  her  body 262 

CHAP.  XXIX  Sfondrato  acquaints  Clement  VIII..  with  the  discovery  of 
Cecilia's  body.  Joy  of  the  Pontiff.  Baronius  comes  to  identify  the  Holy 
Relics 273 


CONTENTS.  7 

PAGE. 

CHAP.  XXX.  Sfondrato's  preparations  for  the  translation  of  Cecilia's  body.  1 

Veneration  of  Clement  VIII.  for  the  Roman  Virgin 281 

CHAP.  XXXI.    Translation  of  Cecilia's  body  by  Clement  VIII 291 

CHAP.  XXXII.  Confirmation  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  by  the  circumstances 
attending  the  second  discovery  of  her  body 297 

CHAP.  XXXIII.  Sfondrato  discovers  the  body  of  St.  Agnes.  His  piety 
towards  the  Mother  of  God  and  the  Saints.  His  will  and  death.  His 
epitaph  in  the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia 302 

CHAP.  XXXIV.  The  Jansenistic  school  attacks  the  Acts  of  the  Holy  Mar- 
tyr.    Examination  and  refutation  of  their  arguments 318 

CHAP.  XXXV.    Continuation  of  the  same  subject 333 

CHAP.  XXXVI.  Events  relating  to  Cecilia  and  her  Basilica  throughout  the 
Eighteenth  Century 342 

CHAP.  XXXVII.  Events  relating  to  St.  Cecilia  and  her  Basilica  through- 
out the  Nineteenth  Century 371 

APPENDIX 385 


LIFE 

OP 

SAINT    CECILIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ALEXANDER  SEVERUS.    HIS  EDUCATION.     TENDENCY  TO  CHRISTIANITY. 
DEFECTS   OF    CHARACTER. 

The  ninth  year  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus 
had  just  opened;*  the  consular  fasces  were  in 
the  hands  of  Lucius  Virius  Agricola  and  Sextus 
Catius  Clementinus,  and  for  eight  years  and  a  half, 
Saint  Urban  had  been  guiding  at  Rome  the  bark  of 
Saint  Peter. f  Since  the  death  of  Septimius  Severus, 
who  had  ordered  the  fifth  persecution  against  the 
Christians,  the  Church  had  enjoyed  a  peace  and 
tranquillity  which  had  already  lasted  twenty  years, 
and  was  destined  to  continue  seven  years  longer, 
until  the  promulgation  of  the  sanguinary  edict  of 
Maximinus,  successor  of  Alexander  Severus.  During 
this  interval,  Christianity  had  made  steady  progress. 
Saint  Callistus  had  occupied  with  honor,  the  Apos- 
tolic chair,  and  although  his  life  was  the  forfeit  of 
this  perilous  dignity,  his  martyrdom  was  not  a  sig- 
nal for  a  general    massacre   of  the  faithful.     The 

*  This  prince  had  been  proclaimed  by  the  army,  on  the  11th 
of  March,  222 ;  the  ninth  year  of  his  reign  commenced  on  the 
11th  of  March,  230. 

f  St.  Urban  had  ascended  the  apostolic  chair  abont  the  mid- 
dle of  October,  222. 

9 


10  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

death  of  this  pontiff  was  the  result  of  the  political 
jealousy  of  the  Emperors,  who  dreaded  the  humble 
majesty  of  the  Bishop  of  Eorne  more  than  they 
would  have  feared  a  competitor  for  the  empire.* 

St.  Urban  had,  therefore,  the  prospect  of  sooner 
or  later  sealing  with  his  blood,  the  elevated  mission 
of  presiding  over  the  destinies  of  the  Church,  and, 
indeed,  he  was  worthy  of  such  a  fate.  The  holy  old 
man  did  not  dread  the  trial  for  himself,  but  he  felt 
great  anxiety  with  regard  to  the  flock  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  for,  although  the  days  of  persecution  were 
ever  glorious  for  the  Church,  they  were  unhappily 
too  frequently  marked  by  the  apostasy  of  many 
Christians.  The  fears  of  the  Pontiff  were  based 
upon  the  well-known  character  of  the  head  of  the 
empire,  who,  although  a  clement  and  just  prince,  and 
kindly  disposed  towards  the  Christians,  was  weak 
and  easily  influenced.  Alexander  was  at  this  time 
in  his  twenty-first  year.  His  mother,  Julia,  not 
only  loved  and  admired  Christianity  ;  but  it  appears 
that  she  even  professed  it.f  While  residing  at  An- 
tioch,  four  years  before  the  elevation  of  her  son  to 
the  throne,  she  sent  an  escort  of  honor  to  Alexan- 
dria, requesting  a  visit  from  the  learned  Origen,  with 
whom  she  conversed  upon  the  Christian  religion,  the 

*  Such  were,  as  we  learn  from  St.  Cyprian,  the  sentiments  of 
the  Emperor  Decius,  who  ascended  the  throne  a  few  years  later: 
"  Cum  tyrannus  infestus  sacerdotibus  Dei  fanda  et  nefanda  com- 
minaretur,  cum  inulto  patientius  et  tolerabilius  audiret  levari 
adversus  se  aemulum  principem  quant  constitui  Roma3  Dei  Sa- 
cerdotem."     Epist.  ad  Antonianvm. 

f  Eusebius  intimated  this  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  Book 
iv.  chap.  21 :  Orosius,  in  the  18th  chap,  of  his  2d  Book.  While  St. 
Vincent  of  Lerins  asserts  it  positively.   (Commonit.  cap.  xxiii.) 


LIFE   OF   SAIKT   CECILIA.  11 

divinity  of  its  origin,  and  the  purity  of  its  morals. 
She  received  this  illustrious  doctor  with  the  greatest 
respect,  and  loaded  him  with  honors.*  Mammaea 
superintended  herself  the  education  of  her  son,  and 
his  contemporaries,  as  wefl  as  posterity,  attribute  to 
her  influence  his  total  disrelish  for  the  dissolute 
habits  of  his  cousin  Heliogabalus,  as  well  as  the 
justice  and  humanity  he  displayed  throughout  the 
course  of  his  life. f  This  princess  directed  Alexander 
in  all  his  undertakings,  accompanied  him  in  his 
campaigns,  and  even  shared  his  fate  when  he  was 
massacred  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ehine,  in  an  expedition  against  the  Germans. 

If  the  policy  of  Alexander,  who  was  only  in  his 
fourteenth  year  when  the  sovereign  power  devolved 
upon  him,  prevented  his  embracing  the  religion  of  his 
mother,  he  at  least  entertained  for  Christianity  and 
its  divine  founder  the  greatest  respect.  The  Lara- 
rium  (oratory)  of  his  palace  included,  not  only  the 
statues  of  the  gods,  and  of  the  Emperors  who  had 
been  signal  benefactors  to  the  human  race,  but  also 
the  statue  of  Jesus  Christ,  placed  there  by  Alexander 
and  honored  by  him  with  divine  worship. 

His  admiration  for  the  Son  of  Mary  was  so  sincere 
that  he  even  laid  a  proposition  before  the  senate  to 
admit  to  a  rank  among  the  gods,  the  founder  of  a 
religion,  of  which  the  moral  code  was  so  pure.  The 
senate  desired  to  consult  the  oracles  upon  this  im- 
perial fancy,  and  Lampridius,  a  contemporary  author, 
reports  their  response  to  have  been,  that  if  this  now 
apotheosis  were  celebrated,  the  temples  would  soon 

*  Buseb.  lib.  vi.  cap.  xxi. 

|  Herodian,  a  pagan  historian  of  Alexander,  unhesitatingly 

acknowledges  this.  Lib.  v.  p.  571;  Lib.  vi.  574,  575,  Frankfort 
edit.  1590. 


12  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

be  abandoned,  and  all  the  world  would  become 
Christian.*  The  maxim:  "  Do  unto  others  only  that 
which  you  would  wish  them  to  do  to  you,"  was  un- 
ceasingly on  the  lips  of  Alexander,  and  he  freely 
acknowledged  that  he  had  borrowed  it  from  the 
Christians.  He  caused  it  to  be  engraved  on  the  walls 
of  his  palace,  and  on  those  of  the  new  edifices. 
In  obedience  to  his  orders,  a  herald  proclaimed  it 
publicly  at  the  punishment  of  criminals.!  Alexander 
gave  another  proof  of  his  respect  for  Christianity, 
by  confiding  many  of  the  offices  of  his  court  to 
Christians  whom  he  honored  with  his  favor.  Euse- 
bius  speaks  of  the  excessive  irritation  of  Maximums, 
on  seeing  these  posts  of  honor  filled  by  the  followers 
of  a  religion,  which  he  himself  so  unrelentingly  perse- 
cuted.^; An  incident,  related  by  Lampridius,  and 
which  throws  great  light  on  the  situation  of  the 
Church  in  Eome,  will  serve  to  show  the  impartiality 
of  Alexander  in  cases  affecting  the  Christians.  In 
the  country  beyond  the  Tiber,  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Janiculum,  was  situated  the  famous  Taberna  rneri- 
toria,  from  the  soil  of  which,  in  the  year  of  Eome, 
718,  a  fountain  of  oil  had  burst  forth  and  flowed 
during  an  entire  day  like  a  mysterious  river.g 
Augustus,  conqueror  of  Pompey  and  Lepidus,  was 
inaugurating  the  era  of  universal  peace,  when  this 
sign  announced  to  the  Eomans  the  approaching  birth 
of  him,  who,  invested  with  the  double  unction  of  the 
Priesthood  and  of  Eoyalty,  would  descend  upon  earth 

*  Lamprid.  Augusta,  liistor.  Paris,  1620,  p.  129.   f  Ibid.  p.  132. 

t  Euseb.  Histor.  Eccles.  lib.  vi.  cap.  28. 

§  This  incontestable  fact  is  reported  in  the  Chronicles  of  Euse- 
bius,  and  in  those  of  St.  Prosper,  Idacius,  Orosius.  Previous 
to  these  Christian  writers,  Dio  Cassius  mentions  it  in  his  His- 
tory of  Rome.       Lib.  xliii.  p.  383.     Edit,  of  1G06. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  13 

to  be  the  pledge  of  the  restoration  of  peace  between 
heaven  and  earth.  Under  the  pontificate  of  St. 
Callistus,  this  celebrated  edifice,  famed  for  so  memo- 
rable a  prodigy,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Christ- 
ians. This  pontiff  dedicated  it  as  a  church  under  the 
invocation  of  the  Mother  of  Grod ;  since  that  time, 
Eome  honors  this  sanctuary  under  the  name  of  St. 
Mary  beyond  the  Tiber.* 

It  is  not  known  when  the  Christians  obtained 
possession  of  a  building  which  had  formerly  served 
only  for  profane  uses ;  but  Lampridius  relates  that 
the  popinarii  (tavern  keepers)  complained  bitterly 
to  Alexander,  that  a  place  hitherto  free  to  the  public, 
and  profitable  to  them,  had  been  taken  from  them 
and  devoted  to  the  service  of  a  religion,  not  even 
recognized  by  the  laws  of  the  empire.  The  good 
dispositions  of  this  prince  toward  the  Christians 
were  decidedly  manifested  in  his  decision  of  this  case. 

"I  prefer,"  he  replied,  "that  God  should  be  hon- 
ored in  this  place  in  any  manner  whatsoever,  rather 
than  restore  it  again  to  the  venders  of  wine."f  Such, 
with  regard  to  the  Church,  were  the  dispositions  of 
the  prince  who  reigned  over  Rome  and  over  the 
whole  world.  Nevertheless,  St.  Urban,  as  we  have 
before  stated,  did  not  feel  secure  from  the  violent 
storms  which  had  ravaged  the  Church  even  under 
the  best  Emperors.  Trajan  and  Antoninus  had  per- 
secuted the  Christians,  and,  moreover,  the  defects  of 
Alexander's  character  rendered  a  change  possible, 
if  not  in  his  interior  dispositions,  at  least  in  his  con- 
duct.    Urban  could  not  forget  that  his  predecessor, 

*  See  Moretti,  de  S.  Callisto  Papaet  Martyre  ejusque  Basilica 
S.  Marine,  trans-Tybei  hn     nqncupata.     Rome,  1752. 
f  Lamprid.  Alex.  vita.  pag.  131, 


14  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Callistus,  had  suffered  martyrdom  in  the  early  part 
of  the  reio;n  of  Alexander,  and  if  the  murder  of  this 
holy  Pope  could  be  justly  attributed  to  political 
motives,  it  was  not  easy  to  forget,  that,  until  that  time, 
State  reasons,  as  well  as  zeal  for  the  worship  of  the 
gods,  had  dictated  the  edicts  of  proscription  against 
the  Christians.  Alexander  was  opposed  to  violence, 
but  his  timidity  rendered  him  very  yielding.  He 
was  known  to  cringe  to  public  opinion,  and  to  fear 
literary  men,  lest  they  should  transmit  to  posterity 
an  unfavorable  account  of  his  character  and  reign.* 

His  weakness  was  particularly  conspicuous  in  the 
exaggerated  deference  he  paid  Mammaea,  to  whose 
influence  he  was  constantly  submissive.  This  prin- 
cess, distinguished  for  her  noble  qualities,  but  jealous 
and  passionate,  exercised  complete  dominion  over 
her  son,  and,  although  her  advice  was  generally  most 
beneficial  to  Alexander,  it  sometimes  led  him  to 
commit  grave  faults.f. 

It  was  at  the  instigation  of  his  Mother,  that  Alex- 
ander repudiated,  and  exiled  into  Lybia,  his  first 
wife  whom  he  esteemed  and  loved.  Mammaea  drove 
her  from  the  palace  and  forced  her  to  seek  refuge  in 
the  protection  of  the  army 4  Alexander  also  caused 
Marcion,  the  father  of  his  wife,  to  be  put  to  death,  a 
fate  richly  merited  according  to  some  historians,  who 
assert  that  the  unhappy  man  had  been  proved  guilty 
of  treason.  However  this  may  be,  the  weakness  of 
Alexander's  character  wras  easily  discovered  by  the 
courtiers.  Interested  and  ambitious  men  took  ad- 
vantage of  it  to  prosecute  their  designs  with  boldness, 

*  Lamprid.  Alex.  vita.  pag.  115. 

f  Herodian.  Hist.  August,  lib.  vi.  pag.  575.   J  Herodian.  Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  15 

though  opposed  to  his  views,  yet  not  without  reason 
hoped  for  impunity,  if  not  for  favor. 


CHAPTER   II. 

DISPOSITIONS  OF  THE  MAGISTRATES  OP  THE  EMPIRE  WITH  REGARD 
TO  CHRISTIANITY.  ULPIAN.  UNCEASING  TRIALS  IMMINENT  FOR 
THE    CHRISTIANS   OF    ROME. 

If  the  influence  of  Julia  Mammsea  at  times  induced 
Alexander  to  act  in  opposition  to  the  dictates  of  his 
heart,  there  was  at  least  no  reason  to  fear  that,  with 
respect  to  Christianity,  this  princess  would  lead  him 
into  the  path  of  persecution.  But  unfortunately 
the  bitterest  and  most  formidable  enemies  of  the 
Church  had  found  an  asylum  in  the  palace  of  the 
Emperor,  and  were  favored  with  his  confidence. 
Elevated  to  the  throne  at  an  age  when  the  character 
is  still  unformed,  he  needed  a  council  to  direct  him 
in  the  art  of  governing.  The  members  of  this  coun- 
cil, sixteen  in  number,  were  chosen  by  Mammaea 
herself,  and  were  principally  skilful  juris-consults, 
who  were  highly  esteemed  in  Rome.  Papinian, 
Domitius  Ulpian,  Julius  Paulus,  Celsus,  Pomponius, 
Modestinus,  Yenuleius,  Hermogenes,  and  Callistra- 
tus,  successively  formed  part  of  this  council,  and 
many  of  them  retained  their  seats  several  years. 
These  legists,  adorers  of  the  coercive  principle  decora- 
ted with  the  pompous  name  of  Law,  that  law  of  which 
they  were  the  oracles,  witnessed  with  profound  antip- 
athy, the  progress  of  Christianity,  which  revealed  to 
men  the  principles  of  an  eternal  jurisprudence,  calcu- 
lated essentially  to  modify  the   mutual  relations  of 


16  LIFE    OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

mankind.  A  spiritual,  and  at  the  same  time,  cosmo- 
politan society,  which  rejected  the  control  of  political 
power,  and  propagated  itself  in  spite  of  all  the  edicts 
of  repression,  seemed  to  them  a  monster  which  the 
empire  could  not  stifle  too  soon.  Jurisprudence  and 
philosophy  united  their  efforts  in  repelling  the  com- 
mon enemy  which  was  advancing  so  rapidly  against 
them,  and  would  inevitably,  sooner  or  later,  crush 
them  in  their  own  domain,  by  assigning  faith  as 
the  guide  of  intellect,  and  erecting  in  the  conscience 
of  each  man  a  tribunal  from  which  lie  would  judge 
the  law.  Edicts  of  persecution  had  been  the  sole 
reply  to  the  pretensions  of  this  new  society.  The 
ferocious  autocracy  of  Nero,  the  benevolent  genius 
of  Trajan  and  Antoninus,  the  philosophical  instincts 
of  Marcus  Aurelius,  had  all  conspired  in  the  general 
massacre  of  the  Christians.  From  the  very  begin- 
ning, the  empire  felt  that  it  had  either  to  bend  under 
the  yoke,  or  conquer  by  carnage.  The  personal  dis- 
position of  Alexander,  as  well  as  his  education, 
seemed  almost  a  guarantee  that  the  Church,  during 
his  reign,  would  not  be  harassed  by  any  addition 
to  the  long  series  of  proscriptive  edicts  against 
the  Christians;  but  the  tolerance  of  the  emperor  for 
the  religion  of  his  Mother,  was  not  so  great  as  to 
banish  from  the  Arsenal  of  Eoman  laws,  those  weap- 
ons of  tyranny,  the  use  of  Avhich  a  clement  prince 
would  have  prohibited.  Pagan  superstition  and 
Eoman  policy  watched  together  over  the  mainte- 
nance of  those  sanguinary  edicts,  and  Alexander 
dared  not  brave  public  opinion,  nor  expose  his  popu- 
larity, by  revoking  them.  Lampridius,  in  a  few 
words,  perfectly  expresses  the  politic  measures  of  the 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  17 

emperor  with  regard  to  the  Church  :  "  Alexander," 
he  says,  "tolerated  the  existence  of  Christians."* 

Daring  this  truce,  the  legists  of  the  imperial  pal- 
ace compiled  several  times  the  Roman  laws,  carefully 
bringing  together  in  their  compilations  the  ordi- 
nances which  condemned  the  faithful  to  death.  The 
assessors  of  Papinian,  in  his  office  of  Prefect  of  the 
Praetonum,  were  Domitius  Ulpian  and  Julius  Pau- 
las, two  men  whose  names  are  as  imposing  in  the 
history  of  jurisprudence,  as  they  are  odious  in  the 
annalsof  Christianity.  Daring  the  reign  of  Alexander, 
the  former  published  his  famous  books,  De  officio 
Proconsulis,  in  which  he  collects  the  different  edicts 
of  the  Emperors  against  every  kind  of  crime.  We  find 
there  the  numerous  constitutions  which  outlawed  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  Christ.  Lactantius  brands  with 
eloquent  indignation,  this  sanguinary  concession  to 
the  passions  of  the  Prsetorium,f  which  rendered  the 
reign  of  Alexander  a  cruel  and  cowardly  transition 
from  the  pe  secution  of  Septimius  Severus,  to  that 
set  on  foot  by  Maximinus,  and  which  broke  out 
immediately  after  the  assassination  of  Alexander. 
Herod ian  andLampridius  eulogize  in  the  most  extra- 
vagant manner,  the  virtues  and  qualities  of  Ulpian. 
Pagans  like  himself,  they  considered  it  no  crime  to 
sharpen  the  sword  destined  to  massacre  the  Christ- 

*  Alexand.  vita.  pag.  121. 

f  Quin  etiam  seleratissimi  homicidae  contra  pios  jura  impia 
condiderunt.  Nam  et  constitutiones  sacrilegae,  et  disputationes 
Jurisperitorum  legunter  injustae.  Domitius,  de  officio  Proconsulis 
libro  septimo,  rescripta  Principum  nefaria  collegit,  ut  docerot, 
quibus  poonis  affici  oporteret  cos,  qui  so  oultorea  Dei  conlitcren- 
tur.     Divin,  Ins  tit.  lib.  v.  rap    xi. 

2* 


18  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

ians.  Moreover,  the  degree  of  morality  necessary  to 
satisfy  the  writers  of  this  epoch,  is  well  known. 
According  to  Dio  Cassius,  Ulpian  would  never  have 
enjoyed  the  honors  of  the  Praetorium,  had  he  not 
murdered  his  predecessors,  Flavian  and  Chrestus* 
The  blood  of  the  Christians  could  hardly  be  more 
precious  to  Ulpian  than  that  of  the  first  magistrates 
of  Rome.  Such  was  the  man  who  exercised  un- 
bounded influence  over  Alexander,  and  enjoyed  to 
an  unlimited  degree  the  imperial  favor.  Mammaea 
at  first  watched  with  great  anxiety,  the  influence  of 
Ulpian.  She  knew  his  violent  opposition  to  Christi- 
anity;  but  Ulpian  was  too  politic  to  solicit  new  edicts 
against  a  religion  favored  by  the  Mother  of  the  Em- 
peror, and  respected  by  Alexander  himself.  She 
therefore  soon  calmed  her  fears,  and  even  contributed 
towards  advancing  the  fortunes  of  Ulpian. f 

The  tranquillity  which  had  been  restored  to  the 
Church,  was  destined  to  be  of  short  duration  ;  the 
brief  respite  from  persecution  seemed  merely  granted 
to  increase  the  number  of  victims,  who  never  for  a 
moment  lost  sight  of  the  arena  of  their  brethren^ 
recent  combats.  The  reigns  of  the  emperors  were 
frequently  short,  and  even  during  that  of  Alexander, 
a  favorable  opportunity  was  alone  required  to  give 
free  vent  to  the  hatred  of  the  proconsuls,  ever  eager 
to  persecute  the  Christians.  Even  a  limited  knowl- 
edge of  the  laws  of  tbe  empire  at  that  time,  is  suffi- 
cient to  show  how  little  dependence  could  be  placed 
by  the  citizens  of  Rome  upon  their  liberty,  their  for- 
tunes, or  even  their  lives.     Exile,   confiscation,   or 

*  Dion  Cass.  Hist,  pag  917.    f  Baronius.  Annal.    ad  ann.  225. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  19 

judicial  murder,  were  calamities  which  often  fell 
upon  patricians,  senators,  and  even  consuls,  whilst 
tyranny  was  exercised  against  the  plebeians — to 
which  class  the  majority  of  the  Christians  belonged — 
with  the  greatest  ease  and  impunity;  the  law  brand- 
ing them  as  despicable  and  vile.  The  perils  which 
the  Church  had  reason  to  dread  from  the  Roman 
legislation,  were  considerably  aggravated  by  the 
hostile  dispositions  of  a  large  portion  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Rome.  Tertullian,  in  his  Apology,  published 
thirty  years  before  the  epoch  of  which  we  treat,  re- 
marks that  in  public  calamities,  or  in  seditions,  the 
multitude  never  failed  to  cry  out : — "  The  Christians 
to  the  lions  1"  The  mild,  but  weak  reign  of  Alex- 
ander was  more  than  once  agitated  by  tempests, 
which  converted  the  capital  of  the  world  into  a  theatre 
of  carnage,  where  free  vent  was  given  to  the  violence 
of  passion.  Even  Ulpian,  with  all  his  skill  and 
power,  frequently  failed  in  crushing  these  disturb- 
ances. His  office  gave  him  supreme  authority  over 
the  praetorian  guard.  This  body  having  displeased 
the  Romans,  in  some  trifling  matter,  war  was  declared 
against  them.  The  civil  contest  lasted  three  days, 
and  resulted  in  many  deaths  on  both  sides.  Encour- 
aged by  their  superiority  of  number,  the  people 
fought  with  such  success  that  they  were  gaining  a 
decided  victory,  when  the  praetorians  commenced  to 
fire  the  city  ;  fear  at  once  overcame  the  exasperation 
of  the  people,  and  paved  the  way  to  reconciliation.* 
A  short  time  after,  in  the  fifth  year  of  Alexander's 
reign,    Ulpian   was   assassinated   by  the   praetorian 

*  Diou  Cass   Hist,  page  917. 


20  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

guard,  thus  expiating  by  his  own  violent  death,  the 
murder  of  Flavian  and  Chrestus.  His  efforts  to  re- 
store discipline  to  this  formidable  corps,  excited  to 
such  a  degree  the  animosity  of  the  soldiers,  that  they 
boldly  demanded  his  condemnation  of  the  Emperor. 
Several  times  Alexander  was  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  covering  with  his  imperial  purple,  the  prefect  who 
had  become  so  odious  to  the  praetorians ;  but  even 
this  protection  did  not  long  preserve  the  life  of  his 
favorite  ;  the  praetorians  finally  murdered  him  in  the 
very  presence  of  the  Emperor.  Ulpian  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  Prefecture  of  the  Praetorium,  by  his 
colleague,  Julius  Paulus,  a  man  well  worthy  the 
office,  if  extreme  aversion  for  the  Christians  was  at 
that  time  a  necessary  qualification  for  so  important 
a  charge. 

Thus  the  law  ever  armed  with  the  sword  kept 
guard  at  the  doors  of  the  Church,  and  when  occasion 
offered,  the  legists  eagerly  took  advantage  of  it.  A 
city  containing  nearly  three  millions  of  inhabitants 
accustomed  to  scenes  of  bloodshed,  was  not  likely  to 
be  agitated  because  severity  was  exercised  against  a 
sect,  who,  according  to  the  expression  of  Tacitus, 
had  drawn  upon  themselves  the  hatred  of  the  whole 
human  race.**  It  was  well  known  that  they  would 
not  be  avenged  by  their  brethren,  who  envied  their 
fate;  nor  by  the  people,  who  were  absurdly  prejudiced 
against  them  ;  nor  by  the  emperor,  who  considered 
he  favored  the*i  sufficiently  by  not  proscribing  them, 
and  by  admitting  several  to  form  a  portion  of  his 
household. 

*  Odio  huuiaiii  generis  convicti.  Tacit.  Aunal.  lib.  xv. 
cap.  xliv. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  21 


CHAPTER  III. 

MARTYRS   UNDER   ALEXANDER  SEVERUS.       SITUATION  AND  SOLICITUDE 
OF  POPE   ST.  URBAN.       PROGRESS  OF  CHRISTIANITY    IN    ROME. 

The  calendar  of  the  Church  has  preserved  the 
memory  of  several  martyrs  who  suffered  during  the 
reign  of  Alexander.  The  execution  of  edicts  being 
suspended,  they  are  but  few  in  number;  we  find 
them  however  in  the  Martyrologies,  the  persecuting 
spirit  of  the  empire  having  more  than  once  broken 
down  the  barriers  imposed  by  the  tolerance  of  the 
emperor. 

St.  Hesychius,  a  soldier,  was  executed  with  St. 
Julius,  under  Maximinus  at  Dorostoros  in  Mysia. 
No  other  mention  is  made  of  martyrs  who  suffered 
at  this  epoch  out  of  Eome;  but  in  the  capital  itself, 
during  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Alexander,  we 
find  the  names  of  the  saintly  priest  Callipadius,  who 
was  beheaded,  Palmatius*  a  personage  of  elevated 
rank,  and  Simplicius  a  senator,  who  were  massacred 
with  their    families;  shortly  after,  Pope  Callistus; 

*  The  acts  of  St.  Callistus  err,  in  giving  to  Palmatius  the  title 
of  Consul;  this  qualification  should  not  be  taken  literally.  We 
frequently  find,  not  only  in  the  acts  of  the  Martyrs  and  other 
Saints,  but  likewise  in  histories  and  chronicles  which  are  the 
foundation  of  the  annals  of  modern  society,  that  the  compilers 
make  many  errors  with  respect  to  titles,  from  the  fact  that  they 
are  not  familiar  with  those  in  use  at  the  time  the  events  took 
place.  This  confounding  of  terms  does  not  detract  from  the  sin- 
cerity of  the  authors,  nor  from  the  reliability  of  the  sources 
whence  they  derive  their  facts.  Even  the  most  severe  critics 
overlook  such  trilling  errors,  which  are  so  frequent  in  the  his- 
torical works,  written  after  the  fall  of  the  Western  Empire. 


22  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

later,  the  virgins  Martina  and  Tatiana;  and  finally, 
the  celebrated  martyr  whose  combats  we  are  going  to 
relate,  and  who  rendered  the  pontificate  of  St.  Urban 
forever  memorable. 

The  holy  Pope  in  consequence  of  numerous  acts 
of  violence,  was  convinced  that  he  would  not  be 
permitted  to  end  in  peace  the  ninth  year  of  his 
courageous  episcopacy.  The  persecutors  of  the  vene- 
rable Pontiff  were  not  wanting  in  pretexts  to  satisfy 
their  unjust  hatred.  Without  requiring  edicts  of 
persecution,  the  magistrates  could  easily  have  re- 
course to  the  general  laws  which  condemned  to  death 
all  those  guilty  of  sacrilege,  as  well  as  magicians 
and  disturbers  of  the  public  peace.*  The  head  of 
the  Christians  of  Rome  and  of  the  empire,  was  thus 
liable  at  any  moment  to  be  led  before  the  magistrates 
upon  some  charge  of  this  nature.  He  was  twice 
summoned  to  the  Prsetorium,  where  he  courageously 
confessed  his  faith. f  Thenceforth,  it  was  no  longer 
possible  for  him  to  live  within  the  city  without  ex- 

*  The  process  directed  against  Palmatius  and  Simplicius,  and 
in  consequence  of  which  they  obtained  the  crown  of  martyrdom, 
was  the  result  of  a  search  after  some  Christians,  accused  of  witch- 
craft, on  acc&unt  of  certain  omens  which  had  been  attributed  to 
them.  In  cases  of  this  nature,  Alexander's  governors  easily 
eluded  his  tolerance  towards  the  Christians.  The  magistrates 
knew  how  to  take  advantage  of  an  accusation  of  witchcraft,  in  the 
interval  of  persecution  ;  and  as  to  the  crime  of  sacrilege  a  simple 
pi o vocation  addressed  to  a  Christian  was  often  sufficient  to  obtain 
a  reply  that  could^easily  be  metamorphosed  into  an  insult  offered 
the  gods  and  prove  a  cause  of  arrest.  Finally,  it  was  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  excite  the  people  of  certain  districts  to  attack  the  faithful, 
and  then  accuse  the  latter  as  disturbers  of  the  public  peace. 

f  St.  Urban  merited  the  title  of  Verus  Confessor,  which  is  given 
him  in  the  Liber  Pontijicalis,  by  the  courage  with  which  he  con- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  23 

posing  his  life  :  he  therefore  retired  to  the  catacombs 
of  the  Appian  Way,  near  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs, 
where  recalling  to  his  mind  the  example  of  his  pre- 
decessors, he  strengthened  his  soul  for  its  last  combat. 
While  in  this  mysterious  place  of  concealment,  com- 
munications were  sent  him  from  the  Churches  of  the 
East  and  of  the  West ;  he  directed  the  twenty-five 
churches  which  Rome  already  counted  within  her 
walls ;  and  received  with  benevolence,  the  faithful 
who  had  recourse  to  him,  or  the  Pagans,  who, 
touched  by  grace,  earnestly  implored  to  be  enlight- 
ened by  that  Admirable  Light,  which  the  Prince  of 
the  Apostles  had  brought  to  the  Romans.*  Several 
priests  and  deacons  assisted  the  Pontiff  and  shared 
his  labors  and  perils.  Many  of  the  poor,  watched 
like  faithful  sentinels  along  the  road  which  led  to 
the  dwelling  of  the  Vicar  of  Christianity.  Being 
well  known  by  the  Christians  of  Rome,  they  served 
as  agents  between  the  Church  and  her  chief,  and  thus 
concealed  from  the  shrewd  emissaries  of  the  Pne- 
torium  all  traces  of  the  mysterious  communications 

fessed  Jesus  Christ  before  the  judges  of  Rome — twice  according 
to  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  seven  times  according  to  the  Acts 
of  other  Martyrs,  cited  by  Henschenius.  Tillemont  considers 
this  antonomasia  of  the  papal  chronicle,  a  sufficient  reason  to 
refuse  St.  Urban  the  title  of  martyr,  asserting  that  the  martyr- 
dom of  this  Pope  is  only  based  upon  acts  which  have  no  author- 
ity. If  Tillemont  had  taken  the  trouble  to  consult  the  different 
editions  of  the  Sacramentary  of  St.  Gregory,  which  represents  the 
official  tradition  of  the  Catholic  Church  respecting  the  Saints 
whom  she  honors,  particularly  when  they  have  been  Pontiffs,  he 
would  have  found  that  St.  Urban  in  the  VIII.  of  the  calends  of 
June,  is  always  styled  Martyr  and  Pope. 
*  1  Pet.  xi.,  9. 


2-i  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

which  preserved  life  throughout  the  body  of  the 
Church. 

The  documents  which  certify  the  intervention  of 
St.  Urban  in  the  affairs  of  the  universal  Church,  are 
not  now  extant,  but  we  see,  in  some  of  the  fragments 
relating  to  Pontiffs  who  preceded  or  followed  him, 
that  during  the  first  three  centuries,  the  papal  pre- 
rogative was  exercised  over  the  Church  with  as  much 
calmness  and  authority  from  the  foot  of  the  scaffold, 
as  in  later  years,  when  the  apostolical  letters  emana- 
ted from  the  Lateran  palace.  The  Liber  Pontifical  is 
makes  no  mention  of  the  decrees  attributed  after- 
wards to  Urban,  on  the  doubtful  authority  of  Mer- 
cator,  but  it  particularly  specifies  that  during  the 
course  of  his  pontificate*,  the  holy  Pope  consecrated 
eight  bishops,  the  greater  number  destined  doubtless 
for  an  apostolic  life  and  for  the  foundation  of  new 
Churches.  At  the  same  time,  St.  Urban  provided 
for  the  dignity  of  divine  service  in  the  churches  of 
Borne.  There  were  many  Christians  at  the  court  of 
Alexander,  in  the  senate,  and  among  the  patricians ; 
it  was  bat  just  that  a  part  of  the  riches  of  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ,  should  be  devoted  to  the  suitable  cele- 
bration of  the  divine  mysteries.  Aided  by  liberal 
contributions  from  these  wealthy  Christians,  St. 
Urban  replaced  the  vases  of  the  altar  with  silver 
ones,  and  among  other  things  ordered  twenty-five 
silver  patens  for  the  various  churches  of  the  city.f 
These  patens  were  very  large,  for  they  were  des- 
tined to  receive  the   bread   which  each  one  of  the 

*  Anast.  de  Vitis  Pontificum  Romanorum.     In  Urbano. 
f  Hie  fecit  ministeria  sacrata  argentea,  et  patenas  argenteaa 
viginti  quinque  posuit.  Anast.  Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  25 

faithful  who  was  to  communicate,  brought  as  an 
offering.  Whilst  St.  Urban  was  devoting  so  much 
attention  to  the  ornaments  of  material  altars,  he  was 
exercising  his  pastoral  zeal  with  still  greater  ardor 
in  gathering  converts  to  the  fold  of  Christ. 

Thirty  years  before,  Tertullian,  in  addressing  the 
Senate,  had  exclaimed:  "We  are  but  of  yesterday; 
yet  already  we  fill  your  cities,  your  islands,  your 
villages,  markets,  camps,  tribes,  palaces,  and  forum  ; 
we  leave  you  nothing  but  your  temples."*  Since  that 
time,  numerous  recruits  had  reinforced  the  Christian 
ranks.  It  would  be  well  to  enumerate  here  the 
different  ways  in  which  God  in  His  mercy,  led  the 
Gentiles  to  desire  baptism.  According  to  Tertullian, 
who  lived  under  Alexander  Severus,  the  greater 
number  were  attracted  by  the  holiness  and  purity 
of  life  so  conspicuous  in  the  Christians  ;  whilst  those 
who  witnessed  the  invincible  constancy  of  the  mar- 
tyrs, were  unable  to  resist  the  profound  impressions 
made  upon  their  souls.f  The  wonderful  prodigies 
of  which  the  simple  faithful  were  frequently  the 
instruments,  such  as  curing  the  sick,  casting  out 
devils,  etc.,  added  much  to  the  opinion  already 
formed  by  the  pagans,  respecting  the  divinity  of  the 
Christian  religion.;];  Even  the  oracles  frequently 
confessed  the  truth  of  our  dogmas,  and  Tertullian 
boldly  proposed  to  the  Senate,  that,  in  presence  of 
the  magistrates,  the  Pythons,  or  even  the  gods,  should 

*  Hesterni  sumus,  et  vestra  omnia  implevimus,  urbes,  insulas, 
castella,  municipia,  conciliabula,  castra  ipsa,  tribus,  deourias, 
palatiurn,  senatum,  forum  ;  sola  vobis  relinquinius  templa 
Apologeticus.   Cap.  xxxvii. 

+  Ad  Scapulam.  cap.  iv.  \  Apolog.  cap.  xxxvii. 

s 


26  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

be  interrogated ;  promising  that  the  rash  Christian 
who  ventured  to  provoke  them,  should  be  punished, 
if  the  spirit,  speaking  through  these  victims  of  idol- 
atry, did  not  openly  confess  the  truth  and  holiness 
of  the  God  of  the  Christians.*  Frequently,  the  infi- 
nite goodness  of  God,  triumphed  over  the  resistance 
of  Pagans,  by  wonderful  visions.  We  learn  this 
by  the  express  testimony  of  Tertullian.f  Later  we 
shall  mention  numerous  conversions  of  this  nature  ; 
at  present  we  will  simply  cite  that  of  Saint  Basili- 
des,  who  was  gained  to  the  faith  by  an  apparition 
of  the  holy  virgin  Potaminia,  who  placed  a  crown 
"upon  his  head,  and  told  him  he  would  soon  follow 
her  to  martyrdom  $  the  learned  Arnobius,  converted 
by  a  similar  grace,  according  to  St.  Jerome  ;§  and 
many  other  instances  mentioned  in  the  most  authen- 
tic Acts  of  the  Martyrs.  Origen  unites  with  Ter- 
tullian  in  certifying  the  permanency  of  these  voca- 
tions to  the  faith  throughout  the  third  century :  "  I 
do  not  doubt,"  says  this  great  Christian  philosopher, 
"  that  Celsus,  by  the  mouth  of  his  Jew,  will  ridicule 
me ;  but  that  will  not  prevent  my  saying  that  many 
persons  have  embraced  Christianity,  as  it  were,  in 
spite  of  themselves,  their  hearts  being  so  suddenly 
changed  by  some  spirit  which  appeared  to  them, 
either  in  broad  daylight,  or  at  night,  that  their  for- 
mer aversion  for  our  doctrine  has  been  converted 
into  such  intense  love,  that  they  willingly  died  in  its 
defence.     We  have  witnessed  many  such  cases.||" 

*  Apolog.  cap.  xxiii.     f  De  anima.  cap.  xlvii. 
t  Euseb.  Hist.  Eccles.  Lib.  vi.  cap.  v. 
§  Appendix  ad  Chronic.  Eusebii. 
j|  Contra  Cels.  Lib.  i.  n°  46. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  27 

The  zeal  of  the  faithful  did  not  permit  the  all- 
powerful  mercy  of  the  Most  High  to  be  the  sole  agent 
in  these  conversions  ;  for  it  is  in  the  designs  of  Godt 
that  the  Word  of  Life,  the  progress  of  which,  neither 
man  nor  hell  can  restrain,  should  be  spread  through- 
out the  world  by  mortal  lips.  Not  only  did  the 
sacred  hierarchy  plant  this  fruitful  seed;  not  only 
did  the  writings  of  numerous  and  eloquent  apolo- 
gists, such  as  Justin,  Athenagoras,  Tertullian,  fre- 
quently prove  to  the  most  prejudiced  minds,  the 
innocence  and  happy  effects  of  the  Christian  doctrine, 
but  on  all  sides,  the  love  of  Christ  which  consumed 
so  many  hearts  burning  for  martyrdom,  gave  birth 
to  apostles  whose  eloquence  could  not  be  withstood. 
Without  speaking  of  the  innumerable  conquests 
gained  in  the  bosom  of  families  by  the  sole  effect  of 
the  powerful  example  of  Christian  virtues,  how  many 
instances  may  we  not  adduce  of  humble  and  valiant 
soldiers,  winning  to  Christ  their  haughty  leaders,  who 
thenceforth  considered  it  a  prouder  honor  to  bear  on 
their  breasts  the  proscribed  cross,  than  to  command 
under  the  Roman  eagles?  At  other  times,  poor  slaves, 
by  their  simple  and  sublime  words,  suddenly  hum- 
bled at  the  foot  of  the  crucifix,  the  pride  of  a  patri- 
cian, or  the  haughtiness  of  a  stately  Roman  ladyt 
who,  until  then  had  thought  of  nothing  but  sensual 
vanity,  or  the  cruel  pleasures  of  the  amphitheatre. 
And  again,  Christian  virgins,  victorious  over  tb« 
world  and  the  flesh,  and  emulating  the  purity  of 
angels,  seemed  to  rival  those  angelic  spirits  in  their 
zeal  for  the  conquest  of  souls.  But  whilst  St.  Urban 
guided  the  Roman  Church,  none  of  these  spouses  of 


28  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Christ  exceeded  in  love,  fidelity,  and  ardent  zeal,  the 
incomparable  virgin  Cecilia.  Charmed  with  the 
marvels  of  Divine  grace  in  this  simple  and  cou- 
rageous heart,  the  holy  Pontiff,  considering  her  the 
most  precious  flower  in  the  garden  of  Christ,  watched 
over  and  cherished  her  with  truly  paternal  tender- 
ness. God  did  not  permit  him,  however,  to  know 
the  sublime  degree  of  glory  to  which  Cecilia  was 
destined.  St.  Urban  lived  in  continual  expectation 
of  martyrdom;  but  he  knew  not  that  his  sacrifice 
would  be  preceded  by  that  of  this  youthful  virgin. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SAINT  CECILIA.      FAMILY  OP  THE  CECILli.      THE  APPIAN  WAY   IN    THE 
THIRD    CENTURY. 

Cecilia  was  born  in  Rome,  of  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  patrician  families.  The  ancient  and  noble 
race  of  the  Cecilii,  one  of  the  branches  of  Avhich 
adopted  and  rendered  illustrious  the  surname  of 
Metellus,  gloried  in  their  descent  from  Caia  Cecilia 
Tanaquil,  wife  of  Tarquin  the  elder,  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  personages  in  the  regal  period.  The 
Eomans,  to  prove  their  admiration  for  this  matron, 
had  erected  in  the  capitol  a  statue  to  her  honor."* 
Varro,  as  Pliny  relates,  certifies  that  even  in  his  time 
the  distaff  and  spindle  of  Caia  Cecilia  were  carefully 
preserved  in  the  temple  of  Sangus,  and  that,   the 

*  Nieburh.  Histoire  Romaine.  Tom.  ii,  pag.  99. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  29 

dress  which  this  princess  had   woven  for  Servius 
Tullius*  was  kept  in  the  temple  of  Fortune. 

This  traditional  homage  paid  to  a  woman  who  did 
not  forget  in  her  political  character  the  proprieties 
and  occupations  of  her  sex,  is  one  of  the  character- 
istic features  of  ancient  Rome,  and  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  remark  to  what  an  exalted  degree  the 
qualities  and  attributes  of  Caia  Cecilia,  enter  into 
the  type  of  the  Roman  wife.  Even  one  of  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  St.  Jerome,  eulogizes  this 
mysterious  personage,  citing  her  as  a  model  of  con- 
jugal modesty  among  the  Gentiles.  "  The  name  of 
the  prince  to  whom  she  was  married,"  says  the  holy 
Doctor,  "  disappears  beneath  the  shades  of  antiquity 
like  that  of  other  kings ;  but  the  rare  virtue  which 
elevated  this  woman  above  others  of  her  sex,  is  so 
deeply  engraven  in  the  memory  of  all  ages  that  it 
can  never  be  efiaced."f  Thus  the  name  of  Cecilia 
which  Tanaquil  added  to  her  Etruscan  name,  when 
called  to  reign  over  Rome,  was  respected  by  all 
generations  in  the  Eternal  City,  at  the  time  when  it 
pleased  the  Almighty  to  offer  a  Christian  Cecilia  to 
the  veneration,  not  only  of  the  capital,  but  of  the 
entire  world.  The  illustrious  race  to  which  this 
holy    virgin   belonged,    not  only  boasted  of  being 

*  Lanam  in  colo  et  fuso  Tanaqnilis,  quae  eadem  Caia  Caecilia 
vocata  est,  in  templo  Sangi  durasse,  prodente  se,  autor  est  M. 
Varro  :  factamque  ab  ea  togam  regiam  undulatam  in  aede  For- 
tune qua  Servius  Tullius  fuerat  usus.  Plin.  Nat.  Hist  lib.  viii. 
cap.  lxxiv. 

f  Notior  est  marito  suo  Tanaquilla.  Ilium  inter  mu  It  a  Regum 
nomina  jam  abscondit  antiquitas.  Hano  vara  inter  feminas  virtus, 
altius  sa>ciilorum  omnium  memorise,  quam  ut  ezoidere  possit, 
inlixit.     Adversus  Jovinianum.   Lib.  i.   n°  49. 

8* 


30  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

allied  to  Caia  Cecilia,  but  of  numerous  distinguished 
men  who  were  its  glory.  Even  in  the  time  of  the  Re- 
public,  it  had  attained  the  highest  pinnacle  of  gran- 
deur. Without  speaking  of  the  dignities  of  the  Dic- 
tatorship, Censorship,  and  Chief  Pontificate,  which 
members  of  the  Cecilii  family  had  successively 
enjoyed,  and  of  which  the  annalists  and  the  monu- 
ments of  Rome  still  bear  witness,  its  noble  name  is 
inscribed  upon  the  Consular  archives,  eighteen  times 
before  the  accession  of  Augustus  to  the  Empire.* 
The  coins  struck  in  Rome  by  the  Cecilii  family, 
are  still  so  numerous  that  a  series  of  forty-four,  all 
belonging  to  the  Republican  period,  has  been  pub- 
lished.f  The  military  triumphs  awarded  to  the 
different  members  of  this  house  were  numerous  and 
splendid,  and  added  to  the  fame  of  the  ancient  Cecilii, 
the  title  of  Macedonicus,  Balearicus,  Numidicus, 
Dalmaticus,  Creticus,  in  memory  of  brilliant  victo- 
ries over  the  enemies  of  Rome.  The  Cecilii  family 
were  often  entrusted  with  the  consular  fasces  by  the 
Emperors,  and,  during  the  years  which  more  imme- 
diately preceded  the  memorable  epoch  that  gave 
birth  to  the  happy  virgin  who  rendered  it  more 
illustrious  than  all  the  great  generals  of  whom  it  was 
so  proud,  we  find  in  the  archives  the  names  of 
Caecilius  Silanus,J  Cascilius  Rufus,§  Coecilius  Sim- 
plex,! Caecilius  Classicus,e[  and  Caecilius  Balbinus,** 
as  having  been  invested  with  the  magistracy.ff 

*  Muratori.   Inscriptiones.  Tom.   i. 

f  Riccio.  LenionetedelleantichefamigliediRoina.  Naples,  1843. 

t  A.  U.  (In  the  year  of  the  City,  [Rome,]),  759. 

§  A.  U.  7G9.  j|  A.  U.  822.  ir  A.  U.  854.  **  A.  U.  890. 

ft  Muratori.  Ibid.  L'art  de  verifier  les  dates. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  31 

Among  the  females  of  this  illustrious  race  who 
are  mentioned  in  history,  we  find  the  names  of 
Cecilia,  daughter  of  Metellus  Balearicus,  of  whom 
Cicero  relates  several  marvellous  circumstances  ;* 
Cecilia,  daughter  of  Metellus  Dalmaticus,  first  mar- 
ried to  iEmilius  Scaurus  and  afterwards  to  the  Dic- 
tator L.  Sylla;  and  Cecilia,  daughter  of  Q.  Metellus 
Creticus  and  wife  of  Crassus,  to  whose  memory,  was 
erected  a  large  and  magnificent  tomb,  which  is  still 
the  principal  monument  of  the  Appian  Way.  This 
celebrated  edifice  is  built  upon  the  very  ground 
under  which  extend  the  mysterious  Crypts  that 
served  as  a  place  of  concealment  for  St.  Urban,  and 
under  the  shadow  of  which  the  remains  of  St. 
Cecilia  reposed  for  six  centuries. 

Thus  were  Pagan  and  Christian  Eome  mingled , 
until  the  latter  having  conquered  by  its  blood,  the 
divine  plan,  according  to  which  the  city  of  the  seven 
hills  had  become  mistress  of  the  world — solely  to 
unite  all  nations  under  the  same  spiritual  empire — 
was  rendered  manifest  to  all  nations  and  to  all  ages. 
Hence  that  sublime  reciprocal  relation  which,  at 
every  step,  so  forcibly  impresses  the  traveller  in 
Rome,  constantly  meeting,  as  he  does,  with  souvenirs 
of  the  Ancient  city ;  her  traditions  and  even  her 
proper  names  applied,  continued,  and  accomplished 
with  astonishing  plenitude  under  the  Christian  sway. 

We  cannot  resist  introducing   our  readers  to  a 
place  under  the  walls  of  Rome,  so  intimately  con- 
nected with  incidents  relating  to  St.  Cecilia,  and  so 
visibly  stamped  with  the  elevated  predestination  of 
*  De  diviuatioue.  cap.  n  et  xlvi. 


32  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Christianity,  that  we  cannot  visit  it  without  beina: 
struck  by  the  mysterious  connection  between  the 
two.  This  place  is  the  Appian  Way,  the  theatre  of 
decisive  events  in  behalf  of  the  Eternal  City.  It 
was  once  adorned  by  the  immense  and  costly  sepul- 
chral monuments  of  the  Koman  families.  The  ruins 
of  these  still  cover  the  ground  under  which  is  the 
sacred  labyrinth  in  whose  shades  legions  of  martyrs 
have  slept. 

Nothing  can  equal  the  grandeur  and  solemnity  of 
this  Way,  which,  during  the  reign  of  Alexander 
Severus,  when  the  city  was  still  enclosed  on  that 
side  by  the  walls  of  Servius  Tullius,  commenced  at 
the  Capena  gate  and  extended  to  the  Campagna.  It 
derives  its  name  from  Appius  Claudius,  who  exer- 
cised the  functions  of  Censor  in  the  year  of  Rome, 
442,  and  who  raised  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  Military 
Way.  In  594,  it  was  repaired  by  the  consul,  Mar- 
cus Cornelius  Cetegus,  and  newly  embellished  by 
the  application  of  the  Viaria  law  of  Caius  Gracchus; 
under  the  empire  it  was  successively  improved  by 
Vespasian,  Domitian,  Nerva,  Trajan,  Caracalla,  Dio- 
cletian, and  Maximin,  as  is  attested  by  the  inscrip- 
tions on  the  mile  stones  which  have  remained  to  our 
day. 

Traversing  the  plain,  which  extends  t6ward  the 
south,  the  Appian  Way  is  undulating  like  the  ground. 
Sumptuous  villas,  temples  of  graceful  or  severe 
architecture,  and  here  and  there  beautiful  villages 
called  pagi,  embellished  it  throughout  its  course; 
but  its  principal  ornament  once  consisted  in  the 
double  row  of  tombs,  traces  of  which  may  be  found 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  33 

at  the  present  day,  for  more  than  fourteen  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  way.  The  pavement,  composed 
of  solid  blocks  of  lava,  is  magnificent  and  solid,  like 
all  the  works  of  the  royal  people ;  it  is  still  indented 
for  miles  with  the  deep  ruts  formed  by  the  wheels 
of  the  Eoraan  chariots,  two  thousand  years  ago. 
The  Appian  Way,  like  all  the  ancient  roads,  was 
somewhat  narrow,  on  either  side  of  it  were  foot-paths, 
along  which  the  sepulchres  were  built.  The  style 
of  these  funereal  monuments,  imposing  ruins  of  which 
may  still  be  seen,  was  very  varied  ;  some  were  imi- 
tations of  temples,  built  in  an  elegant  and  severe 
style  ;  othere  were  of  a  circular  form,  like  a  tower ; 
many,  pyramidal,  and  a  large  number,  quadrilateral. 
These  sepulchres  belonged  either  to  individuals  or 
to  entire  families ;  some  were  intended  for  the  patri- 
cians, others  for  their  freedmen.  The  body  of  the 
deceased  was  frequently  placed  in  a  sarcophagus, 
but  sometimes  the  loculus  merely  contained  the 
ashes,  according  to  the  custom  which  was  introduced 
towards  the  end  of  the  Eepublic,  of  burning  the 
corpse,  a  practice  which  became  very  general,  except 
in  some  families  who  remained  faithful  to  the  ancient 
custom,  which  was  afterwards  re-established  by 
Christianity.  In  addition  to  the  tombs,  the  Appian 
Way  likewise  offered  many  mysterious  columbaria, 
in  which  were  a  number  of  urns,  placed  one  above 
the  other,  and  containing  the  ashes  of  several  gene- 
rations. The  gloom  produced  by  this  variety  of 
sepulchres,  contrasted  strangely  with  the  magnifi- 
cence and  luxury  of  the  structures  behind  these  ave- 
nues of  death.     The   Pagans,  fully  sensible  of  the 


31  LIFE   OF   SAIXT   CECILIA. 

sublime  lesson  of  tbe  nothingness  of  human  life,  were 
actuated  by  a  moral  sentiment  in  selecting  the  pub- 
lic way,  as  the  site  of  their  tombs.*  But  the  Christ- 
ian religion  was  destined  to  complete  this  lesson  by 
excavating  under  the  very  ground  of  the  Appian, 
whole  cities  of  sepulchres,  which  would  not  only 
remind  man  of  his  mortality,  but  elevate  his  soul  by 
thoughts  of  immortality  and  triumph. 

Such  was  the  general  aspect  of  this  famous  Road, 
which  a  poet  of  the  first  ages  of  the  empire  styled 
the  ''Queen  of  Ways;"f  and  if  my  readers  will 
accompany  me  through  it  for  several  miles,  dating 
from  the  time  of  Alexander  Severus,  we  will  return 
to  the  Capena  gate,  formerly  situated  in  the  valley 
between  the  Aventine  and  Ccelian  hills,  not  a  mile 
this  side  of  the  present  entrance.  This  latter  opens 
in  the  enclosure  of  the  walls  constructed  by  Aure- 
liam  thirty  years  after  the  events  which  form  the  sub- 
ject of  our  history. 

Issuing  from  the  Capena  gate,  over  which  passed 
one  of  the  might  v  aqueducts  of  Rome,j:  the  traveller 
came  in  sight  of  the  temples  of  Honor  and  Virtue, 
erected  by  Marcellus  after  the  fall  of  Syracuse. § 
About  a  quarter  of  a   mile  from  the  gate,  almost 

*  Varro  speaks  thus  of  the  etymology  of  the  word  monumen- 
tum  :  '•  Monument  a  q'u»  in  sepulchris  :  et  ideo  secundum  viam, 
quo  praetereuntes  admoneant  etsefuisse,  et  illos  esse  niortaleis." 
De  lingua  laiina.  lib.  Y.  cap.  vi. 

f  Qua  limite  noto 
Appia  longarum  teritur  regma  viarum. 
Stace.  Sylv.  lib.  n.  carm.  n. 
J  Juvenal.   Sat.  iii.  Martial,   lib.  iii.  Ep.  xirii. 
§  Tit.  Liv.  lib.  xxv.   cap.    xi.  lib.  xxvii.   cap.  xxv.   lib.  xxix. 
cap.  ix. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  35 

opposite  the  magnificent  warm  baths  of  Antoninus 
Caracalla,  the  Latin  road  separated  from  the  Appian 
and  turned  towards  the  left.  Near  this  spot  were 
situated  the  gardens  which  still  bore  the  name  of  the 
poet  Terence.*  Further  on,  commenced  the  inter- 
minable series  of  tombs.  We  learn  from  Cicero  that 
the  sepulchres  of  the  Scipios,  the  Calatini,  the  Ser- 
vilii  and  the  Metelli,  were  situated  outside  the 
Capena  gate,  a  short  distance  from  the  walls;  f  and 
the  discovery  made  in  the  last  century  of  the  hypo- 
geum  of  the  Scipios  confirms  this  precious  informa- 
tion.^: As  yet  we  have  not  discovered  the  tomb  of 
the  Metelli,  but  as  we  proceed  we  will  find  many 
funereal  reminiscences  of  this  family,  who  seem,  as 
it  were,  established  upon  this  Way,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  noble  offspring,  to  whom  was  reserved 
the  honor  of  rendering  the  name  of  the  Cecilii  popu- 
lar until  the  end  of  time.  Not  far  from  these  famous 
sepulchres  and  quite  near  the  Capena  gate,  was  situ- 
ated the  tomb  of  Horatia,  the  young  Eoman  maiden, 
who,  during  the  monarchical  period,  was  killed  by 
her  own  brother  for  having  wept  over  the  death  of 
her  betrothed.  Farther  on,  we  find  on  this  same 
Way,  other  monuments  of  the  decisive  victor}'  which 
Eome  gained  over  Alba.  We  learn  from  Eoman 
history  that  the  tomb  of  Horatia  was  constructed  of 

*  Sueton.  Terentii.  cap.  v. 

f  An  tu  egressus  porta  Capena  quum  Calatini,  Scipiorum, 
Serviliorum,  Metcilorum  Sepulcra  vides,  miseros  putas  illos? 
Tuscul.  lib.  i.  cap.  vii. 

t  The  sepulchres  of  the  Furii  and  the  Manilii  have  been  dis- 
covered nearly  opposite  the  tomb  of  the  Scipios. 


36  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

cutstone,*    which  accounts  for  its  having  defied  the 
ravages  of  time. 

Another  reminiscence  of  the  early  days  of  Rome, 
strikes  the  traveller's  eyes  before  he  reaches  the  tomb 
of  the  Scipios.  The  valley  of  Egeria  which  extends 
towards  the  left,  was  watered  by  the  fountain  of  the 
Nymph  who  dictated  the  laws  of  Numa  ;  it  also  con- 
tained the  temple  of  the  Camoenae,  and  a  sacred 
wood.  But  it  had  lost  its  antique  character,  and 
already  Juvenal  complained  that  pompous  marble 
had  usurped  the  place  of  the  fresh  grass,  and  con- 
cealed the  rock  from  which  the  waters  flowed. f  The 
poet  also  discloses  to  us  another  fact  which  it  is  very 
important  to  mention,  namely,  that  in  his  time  the 
Egerian  fountain,  the  temple  of  the  Camoenae,  and 
the  grove  itself  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Jews. 
"  The  proscribed  muses,"  he  says,  "  have  given  place 
to  beggars."^:  For  a  long  time,  and  particularly 
during  the  life  of  Juvenal,  the  Pagans  confounded 
the  Jews  with  the  Christians.     This  gives  us  reason 

*  Cui  soror  virgo,  quae  desponsauni  ex  Curiatiis  fuerat,  obvia 
ante  portani  Capenam  fuit.  Horatiae  sepulcrum,  quo  loco  cor- 
ruerat  icta,  constructum  est  saxo  quadrato.  Tit.  Liv.  lib.  i.  cap. 
xxvi. 

\  In  vallem  Egeriae  descendimus,  et  speluncas, 
Dissimiles  veris.     Quanto  praestantius  esset 
Numen  aquae,  viridi  si  margine  clauderet  undas 
Herba,  nee  ingenuum  violarent  marmora  tophum  ? 

Juvenal.  Satyr,  iii. 
t  Hoc  sacri  fontis  nemus,  et  delubra  locantur 
Judaeis,  quorum  cophinus,  fcenunique  supellex  ; 
Omnis  enim  populo  mercedem  pendere  jussa  est 
Arbor,  et  ejectis  mendicat  Sylva  Camaenis. 

Juvenal.  Ibidem. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  37 

to  believe  that  this  quarter  was  inhabited  by  the 
disciples  of  Christ.  Nearly  all  the  first  Christians 
were  plebeians;  they  had  been  chosen  from  among 
the  children  of  Jacob  by  St.  Peter  himself,  who, 
when  the  edict  of  Claudius  banished  the  Jews  from 
Eome,  was  forced  to  leave  the  Capital  for  a  short 
time;  the  beggarly  Jews,  mentioned  with  such 
severity  by  the  poet,  may,  therefore,  have  been  a 
Christian  colony. 

This  conjecture  becomes  almost  a  certainty,  if  we 
examine  attentively  the  Appian  Way  at  the  very 
point  where  we  have  arrested  our  steps.  Outside,  it 
is  covered  with  Pagan  monuments ;  whilst  concealed 
from  every  eye,  within  the*  bowels  of  the  earth,  com- 
mence the  sombre  galleries  of  the  Christian  catacombs. 
Wk  have  not  yet  reached  the  Aurelian  enclosure,  and 
already  a  new  Appian  Way  bursts  upon  us  where 
the  heroes  of  Christ  sleep  in  peace.  On  either  side 
of  this  Queen  of  Ways,  near  the  Capena  gate,  under 
the  temples,  baths,  and  villas  of  which  imperial  Eome 
is  so  proud,  near  the  tombs  of  the  Metelli  and  the 
Scipios,  vast  cemeteries  extend  where  repose  the 
generations  of  martyrs  who  preceded  the  reign  of 
Aurelian.  These  subterraneous  passages,  which  have 
been  explored  several  times,  and  are  still  subjects  of 
investigation,  mark  the  spot  where  the  Appian  Way 
first  assumes  a  Christian  character ;  we  meet  them  in 
the  very  commencement  of  our  pilgrimage.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  account  for  their  presence  so  near  the 
walls  of  Eome,  exposed  to  the  view  of  the  whole  city, 
had  the  neighborhood  been  peopled  solely  by  Pagans ; 
but  the  difficulty  vanishes,  if  it  be  true  that  tho  indi- 

4 


38  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

gent  Jews  of  whom  Juvenal  speaks,  were,  in  fact,  a 
Christian  Community.  They  lived  in  this  vicinity 
which,  in  the  topographical  inscriptions  of  Eome, 
bears  the  title  of  Vicus  Camoenarum,  and  rented,  not 
only  the  Egerian  fountain,  but  also  the  temple  of  the 
Canioense  and  the  Sacred  Grove.  They  had  every 
facility  to  open  subterraneous  vaults,  to  excavate 
galleries,  to  bury  therein  the  bodies  of  their  dead. 
After  passing  under  the  arch  of  Drusus,  and  travers- 
ing the  ground  upon  which  now  stands  the  rampart 
built  by  Aurelian,  we  find,  a  few  steps  to  the  right, 
the  first  mile  stone*  of  the  Appian  Way,  the  inscrip- 
tion bearing  the  name  of  Vespasian  and  Nerva.  We 
next  descend  to  the  valley  of  the  Almo,  where  the 
Way  is  watered  by  the  famous  brook,  in  which  the 
priests  of  Cybele  annually  washed  the  statue  of  their 
goddess.  To  the  right,  upon  a  hill,  rises  the  monu- 
ment of  Priscilla,  wife  of  Abascantius.  Statius,  in 
his  poem  "Sylvs3,"  describes  the  conjugal  tenderness 
of  this  Eoman  lady  and  the  inconsolable  grief  of  her 
husband.  "  Opposite  the  city,"  he  says,  "  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  Appian  Way,  near  the  spot  where  Cybele 
ceases  her  lamentations,  and  forgets  the  brooks  of  Ida 
for  the  Almo  of  Italy  ;  there,  O  !  Priscilla !  thy  vir- 
tuous spouse  has  laid  thee  on  a  precious  couch, 
wrapped  in  the  luxurious  purple  of  Sidon.  The 
devastating  hand  of  time  shall  be  powerless  against 
thee,  so  precious  are  the  perfumes  exhaled  by  the 
sacred  marble  which  contains  thy  honored  remains."f 

*  This  column  lias  been  transported  to  the  terrace  of  the  Capi- 
tol. 

f  Est  locus  ante  urbem,  qua  primum  nascitur  ingeng 
Appia ;  quaque  Italo  gemitus  Almone  Cybela 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  39 

Nevertheless,  many  centuries  ago,  the  tomb  of  Pris- 
cilla  was  violated,  and  the  monument  which  con- 
tained it.  remained  ignored  upon  the  Appian  Way, 
until  recently,  when  the  discovery  of  a  mutilated 
marble  showed  that  this  sepulchre  was  the  same 
which  had  proved  powerless  to  protect  the  sarcopha- 
gus of  Priscilla.  We  have  here  another  instance  of 
the  renovation  stamped  by  Christianity  upon  every 
thing  Koman.  At  the  very  moment  when  the  poet 
was  celebrating  the  obsequies  of  this  Priscilla,  who 
is  only  eulogized  by  the  learned,  another  Priscilla, 
of  no  less  illustrious  birth,  was  living  in  Eome  and 
a  Christian.  Mother  of  the  Senator  Pudens,  and 
grandmother  of  the  virgins  Praxedes  and  Pudentiana, 
this  noble  lady  will  live  in  the  memory  of  the  Church 
until  the  end  of  time.  At  her  own  expense,  she 
caused  the  vast  subterraneous  galleries  which  bear 
her  name  to  be  excavated  upon  the  Salarian  Way ; 
hence  when  the  ecclesiastical  year  brings  us  to  the 
festival  days  of  those  who  owe  to  her  the  burial 
ground,  where  their  remains  lie  mingled  with  hers, 
the  Church  repeats  her  name  with  honor  in  the  as- 
sembly of  the  faithful.* 

Ponit,  et  Idseos  jam  non  reminiscitur  amnes. 
Hie  te  Sidonio  vclatam  molliter  ostro 
Eximius  conjux  (nee  enim  fumantia  busta 
Clamoremque  rogi  potuit  perferre)  beato 
Composuit,  Priscilla,  toro  ;  nil  longior  aetas 
Carpere,  nil  sevi  poterunt  vitiare  labores 
Siccatam  membris  ;  tantus  venerabile  marmor 
Spirat  odor. 

Stace.  Silv.  lib.  v.  Carm.  i 
*  The  Liber  Pontificalia  mentions  another  Priscilla  who,  at  the 
request  of  Pope  Marcellus  in  the  beginning  of  the  4th  century, 


40  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

.  "We  find  one  of  the  most  touching  reminiscences  of 
the  founder  of  Christian  Kome,  directly  opposite  the 
tomb  which  Statius  has  immortalized.  It  was  here 
that  St.  Peter,  after  the  defeat  of  Simon  the  magician, 
yielding  to  the  earnest  solicitations  of  the  faithful, 
was  fleeing,  notwithstanding  his  ardent  desire  for 
martyrdom,  from  the  city  over  which  he  was  destined 
to  reign  by  his  blood,  when  he  met  our  Saviour  carry- 
ing his  cross.  "Lord,  whither  art  thou  going?'7  said 
the  Apostle.  "  To  Eome,"  replied  the  Eedeemer; 
"there  to  be  crucified  anew."*  Warned  by  this 
celestial  apparition,  the  Apostle  at  once  retraced  his 
steps ;  he  revealed  the  divine  oracle  to  the  faithful, 
and  the  cross  of  the  disciple  was  soon  elevated  in 
Eome,  as  that  of  his  Master  had  been  in  Jerusalem. 
The  sovereignty  of  spiritual  Eome  was  at  once  and 
forever  proclaimed  by  the  effusion  of  the  fisherman's 
blood.  The  victory  had  commenced  on  the  Appian 
"Way,  and  Catholic  piety  consecrated,  by  the  erection  of 
a  sanctuary,  the  spot  where  the  Apostle  received  the 
glorious  command  for  the  combat  wherein  he  was  to 
represent  his  divine  Master. 

The  Way  ascends  here  by  rather  a  steep  acclivity, 

assisted  in  the  construction  of  a  cemetery  upon  the  same  Sala- 
rian  Way.  This  may  refer  to  some  enlargements  made  at  this 
period  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla.  But,  besides  the  authority 
of  the  ancient  Acts  which  inform  us  that  St.  Priscilla,  Mother 
of  Pudens,  caused  a  cemetery  to  be  constructed  upon  this  Way, 
the  characteristic  style  of  many  of  the  paintings  with  which  it  is 
adorned,  evidently  points  out  that  it  was  built  before  the  4th 
century. 

*  S.  Ambros.  Sermo  contra  Auxentium.  n°  13.  Hegesipp.  lib. 
iii.  S.  Greg.  Magn.  in  Psalm,  iv.  Poenitentiae. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  41 

and  the  tombs  appear  more  and  more  crowded  to- 
gether ;   but  the  disfigured  rums  found  at  the  present 
day,  give  but  a  faint  idea  of  their  former  state.    Vast 
columbaria  on  the  left,  throw  some  light  upon  the 
ashes  of  those  for  whom  they  were  destined.     One 
dates  back  to  the  days  of  Augustus  and  Tiberius,  and 
is  sufficiently  large  to  have  contained  the  ashes  of 
three  thousand  persons.     On  the  same  side,  at  a  little 
distance,  that  of  the  slaves  and  freedmen  of  Livia 
Augusta,*  still  bears  traces  of  former  magnificence. 
But  if  the  surface  of  the  ground  gives  us  little  infor- 
mation respecting  the  illustrious  dead  with  whom  it 
is  peopled,  the  depths  of  the  earth,  rendered  accessi- 
ble by  the  indefatigable  exertions  of  the  fossores  of 
the  primitive  Church,  present  avenues  of  sepulchres, 
the  glory  of  which  increases  with  time.     Following 
the  acclivity  of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  a  pilgrim, 
in  the  time  of  Alexander  Severus,  acquainted  with 
the  mysterious  entrances  to  this  immense  necropolis, 
would  have  suddenly  found  himself  in  a  vast  city, 
silently  inhabited  by  the  illustrious  dead,  who  had 
laid  down  their  lives  for  Christ — not   small     ceme- 
teries, like  those  of  the  Capena  gate,  but  the  colossal 
work  of  the  Christian  Pontiffs  of  the  third  century. 
iO  the  right,   the  pilgrim  would  have  beheld  the 
crypts,  excavated  by  order  of  Pope  Zephyrinus,  and 
continued  by  St.  Callistus,  whose  name  they  boar ; 
to  the  left,  the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus,  which  dates 
back  to  the  same  epoch,  and  presents,  like  that  of 
St.   Callistus,  several  stories,    one   above    the  other, 

*  Nibby.  Analisi  storico-topografico-antiquariadella  carta  de* 
diutorui  di  Roma.  torn.  iii.  pag.  53G. 

4* 


42  LIFE  OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

of  innumerable  funereal  corridors,  intersecting  one 
another  in  every  direction,  and  numerous  chapels 
where  the  bodies  of  the  most  celebrated  martyrs  re- 
pose. Many  of  these  subterranean  sanctuaries  are 
lined  with  precious  marbles,  which  reflected  the  light 
of  lamps  and  torches,  during  the  celebration  of  the 
holy  mysteries ;  symbolical,  and  sometimes  historical 
paintings,  on  the  ceilings,  walls,  and  under  the  arcade 
of  the  principal  sepulchres,  served  as  an  instruction 
for  the  faithful,  whilst  by  their  emblematical  charac- 
ter, they  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the  profane,  the 
secret  of  the  Christian  dogmas. 

These  immense  galleries  continue  for  miles  under 
the  Appian  Way,  and  in  after  years,  the  different 
quarters  of  the  City  of  Martyrs,  borrowed  their  names, 
from  the  more  illustrious  soldiers  of  Christ,  buried 
near  the  entrance  of  their  principal  avenues.  But, 
for  the  present,  we  will  use  the  names  of  Callistus 
and  Pretextatus,  to  designate,  in  a  general  manner, 
the  two  immense  regions  which  extend  the  full  length 
of  the  Way,  from  the  acclivity  we  have  described,  to 
the  valley,  where,  in  the  fourth  century,  the  Basilica 
of  St.  Sebastian  was  built. 

The  persecutions  of  Decius  and  Dioclesian,  sent 
innumerable  recruits  of  martyrs  to  people  these  sombre 
dwellings ;  even  in  the  pontificate  of  St.  Urban,  St. 
Zephyrinus'  body*  rested  in  one  of  the  crypts  situated 
on  the  right  of  the  Way,  where  St.  Callistus  prepared 
the  glorious  asylum  in  which  the  invincible  succes- 
sors of  St.  Peter  were  to  sleep,  and  into  which  we 

*  See  the  successive  "guide  books"  of  the  Catacombs,  from 
the  7th  to  the  10th  century.     We  shall  often  refer  to  them. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  43 

shall  soon  descend,  to  confide  to  the  tomb,  the  pre-  ' 
cious  remains  of  the  noble  heroine  to  whom  we  con- ' 
secrate  these  pages.     Saint  Callistus  was  not  buried 
in  the  retreat  he  had  prepared  for  himself.     Martyred 
in  the  trans-Tiberian  region,  near  the  church  of  St. 
Mary,  the  Christians,  fearing  they  could  not  safely 
transport  his  body  to  the  Appian  Way,  buried  him 
in  one  of  the  crypts  of  the  Aurelian.     On  the  other 
side  of  the  hill,  behind  the  row  of  Pagan  tombs  which, 
extends  to  the  right,  in  the  valley  formed  by  the  depres- 
sion of  the  soil,  was  a  mysterious  asylum,  known,  even 
in  the  third  century,  to  the  Christians  of  the  entire 
world.     For   many   years,  the   bodies   of   the  holy 
Apostles,  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul,  rested  there.  In  the  pon- 
tificate of  St.  Zephyrinus,  they  were  still  in  their  origi- 
nal tombs ;  the  former  at  the  foot  of  the  Vatican  on 
the  Triumphal  Way,  the  latter,  on  the  Ostian,  as  is 
certified  by  Gaius,  a  priest  of  Rome,  in  a  conference 
which  he  held  with  the  Montanist  Proclus,  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century.*     But  St.  Callistus,  on  account 
of  the  sacrilegious  orgies  of  Heliogabalus,  had  felt 
obliged  to  remove  the  holy  relics  to  a  place  unknown 
to  the  Pagatis.     The  Appian  AVay  was  chosen  to  re- 
ceive the  first  and  greatest  treasure  of  Christian  Rome. 
Heliogabalus,  in  his  sacrilegious  madness,  threat- 
ened to  profane  these  sacred  remains,  which  are,  as  it 
were,    the   title   deeds  of  the  power  of  the  Roman 
Church  over  all  others,  since  they  bear  witness  that 
*  Troplicea  Apostolorum  habeo,    qua?  ostendere  possum.     Si 
enim  procedas  via  Triumphali,    qutt   ad  Vaticanum  ducit,    aut 
Ostiensi,  corum  invenies  Trophaea  quibus  ex  utraque  parte  sta- 
tutes Romana  communitur  Ecclesia.  Euscb.  llistoria  Ecdcsiast. 
lib,  ii.  cap,   xxv. 


44  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

St.  Peter  bequeathed  her  his  authority  with  his  blood. 
The  worthless  cousin  of  Alexander  Severus,  had 
erected  upon  the  Palatine,  *  near  the  palace  of  the 
Csesars,  a  temple  destined  to  receive  the  infamous 
idol  which  bore  his  name.  Being  fully  determined 
that  no  god  but  Heliogabalus  should  be  adored  in 
Rome,  he  not  only  resolved  to  transfer  to  this  temple 
the  statue  of  Cybele,  the  fire  of  Vesta,  the  Ancilia, 
the  Palladium,  those  antique  monuments  of  Eoman 
worship,  to  which  the  Gentiles  believed  the  destinies 
of  the  Capital  of  the  World  to  be  attached,  but  he 
had  likewise  declared  his  intention  of  collecting  there, 
•  all  the  most  sacred  objects  of  Christian  worship.  We 
gather  from  a  Pagan  historian,  these  details  so  valu- 
able in  explaining  the  traditions  of  Christian  Eome.* 
Saint  Callistus,  who  was  Pope  at  this  time,  and  who 

*  Ubi  primum  (Heliogabalus)  ingressus  est  urbem,  omissis 
iis  quae  in  provincia  gerebantur,  Heliogabalum  in  Palatino  inonte 
juxta  aedes  imperatorias  consecravit,  eique  templuni  fecit,  stu- 
dens  et  Matris  typum,  et  Vestae  igneni,  et  Palladium,  et  Ancilia, 
et  omnia  romanis  veneranda  in  illud  transferre  templum,  et  id 
agens  ne  quis  Romae  Deus,  nisi  Heliogabalus  coleretur.  Dicebat 
praeterea  Judaeorum  et  Samaritanorum  religiones,  et  Christi- 
anam  devotionem  illuc  transferendam,  ut  omnium  culturarum 
secretum  Heliogabali  sacerdotiumteneret.  Lampridius.  Augusta 
historia. 

The  historian  also  relates  that  Heliogabalus  gave  an  exhibi- 
tion of  harnessed  elephants  on  the  Vatican  plain ;  and  that  not 
having  sufficient  space  for  so  novel  an  entertainment,  he  ordered 
the  sepulchres  to  be  destroyed.  The  tomb  of  the  prince  of  the 
Apostles  being  subterranean,  could  not  indeed  be  overturned, 
but  as  all  access  to  it  might  be  rendered  very  impracticable  for 
the  faithful,  St.  Callistus  probably  found  in  this  extravagant 
command,  an  additional  motive  for  removing  to  a  place  of  se- 
curity, the  remains  of  St.  Peter,  those  precious  relics  which 
were  then,  and  ever  will  be,  the  Palladium  of  Christian  Rome. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  45 

has  been  immortalized  by  bis  active  interest  in  guard- 
ing the  crypts  of  the  Appian  Way,  wished  to  protect 
from  dishonor,  the  remains  of  the  holy  Apostles,  and 
therefore  removed  them  from  the  place  where  they 
had  hitherto  been  venerated  by  the  faithful.*  He 
caused  a  sepulchral  chamber  to  be  built,  the  descent 
into  which  was  effected  by  means  of  a  well,  and  there 
the  first  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  the  Doctor  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, reposed  each  in  his  own  tomb  for  many  years, 
after  which  they  were  restored  to  their  primitive 
resting  place.  The  place  where  they  rested  for  that 
brief  interval  is  called  the  catacombs,f  a  name  after- 
wards applied  more  or  less  correctly  to  the  Christian 
crypts  and  cemeteries  throughout  the  different  Ways. 
In  leaving  this  sacred  spot,  and  resuming  the 
course  of  the  Appian,  we  see  before  us,  towards  the 
left,  a  vast  plain  which  extends  in  the  direction  of 
the  Latin  Way.  About  half  a  mile  distant,  upon  a 
graceful  hill,  and  overlooking  a  nymphoeum,  which 
was  once  deemed  to  be  the  site  of  the  grotto  and  foun- 
tain of  Egeria,  a  prostyle  temple  now  rears  its  por- 
tico of  four  fluted  columns  of  Pentelican  marble. 
This  temple,  built  during  the  Eepublican  period,  and 
less  remarkable  than  many  others  which  adorned  the 
Eoman  Ways,  merits  nevertheless,  a  passing  notice 
from  the  Christian  traveller.  At  the  present  day, 
we  are  uncertain  to  what  false  divinity  it  was  con- 
secrated ;  for  a  long  time  it  was  supposed  to  be  the 

*  Panvini  de  Septem  Urbis  Ecclesiis.  cap.  iv.  pag.  34.  Moretti. 
Disputatio  de  trauslatione  corporum  SS.  Petri  et  Tauli  ad  Cata* 
cumbas. 

t  Kalendariuin  Bucherianum.  Anastase.  in  Cornelio. 


46  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

temple  of  the  Camoen99,  celebrated  by  the  poets,  and 
mentioned  on  the  topographical  monuments  of  Home, 
at  the  identical  period  when  the  name  of  Egeria  was 
given  to  the  fountain  in  the  valley.  This  opinion  is 
not  well  supported,  and  yet,  without  any  better  foun- 
dation, the  edifice  bears  at  present,  the  name  of 
Bacchus.  However  this  may  be,  we  learn  from  tra- 
dition, that  it  served  as  a  retreat  for  the  pontiff,  St. 
Urban.  This  touching  reminiscence  has  been  per- 
petuated by  an  oratory  built  under  the  temple,  in  the 
soft,  sandy  stone,  and  since  consecrated  as  a  church, 
under  the  name  of  St.  Urban.  The  crypts  of  Pretex- 
tatus,  branch  out  through  the  surrounding  ground ; 
the  pontiff  was,  consequently,  perfectly  secure  in  his 
place  of  concealment,  which  was  at  some  distance 
from  the  public  roads,  and  may,  moreover,  have 
belonged  to  the  Christians,  as  did  the  temple  of  the 
Camcena),  under  the  very  walls  of  Rome. 

A  Pope,  already  a  confessor,  and  soon  to  be  a  mar- 
tyr, seeking  refuge  in  a  Pagan  temple,  is  a  striking 
feature  of  that  secret  and  continual  labor,  by  which 
Christianity  sapped  the  foundation  of  the  religion  of 
the  Gentiles.  In  connection  with  this  fact,  we  may  men- 
tion that  the  Vatican  crypt,  which  received  the  bleeding 
body  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  after  his  martyr- 
dom, was  excavated  under  a  temple  of  Apollo,*  near 
the  Circus  of  Nero.  All  traces  of  the  temple  have 
disappeared  forever ;  but  if  the  tomb  of  the  Galilean 
fisherman,  unceasingly  venerated  by  the  faithful, 
remains  buried  under  its  majestic  shadow,  the  cross 
upon  the  cupola  of  Michael  Angclo,  towering  to  the 
*  Anastase.  in  Petro. 


LIFE   OF   SAIOT  CECILIA.  47 

very  skies,  proclaims  that  Christ,  the  conqueror  of 
false  gods,  reigns  no  longer  merely  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth. 

Eeturning  to  the  Appian  Way,  we  find  the  third 
mile-stone,  near  which  were  placed  the  Christian 
beggars,  charged  with  pointing  out  to  the  faithful,  the 
retreat  of  St.  Urban.  To  the  left,  the  sepulchre  of 
Cecilia  Metella,  rose  in  graceful  majesty.  Restii^g 
upon  the  summit  of  a  hill,  it  overlooked  the  tombs, 
temples,  and  villas  with  which  the  plain  was  covered, 
and  the  aqueducts  which  bore  the  tribute  of  lakes 
and  rivers  to  the  city  of  the  Ca3sars.  This  mag- 
nificent monument  is  now  but  a  mass  of  ruins, 
yet  it  is  still  the  most  noble  ornament  of  the  Cam- 
pagna.  Supported  upon  a  quadrilateral  dais,  and  built 
of  travertine,  it  has  the  appearance  of  an  elegantly 
proportioned  tower;  the  upper  part  is  embellished 
with  a  frieze  decorated  with  festoons  separated 
by  bulls'  heads;  the  whole  being  crowned  by  a 
conical  roof,  also  in  travertine.*  Neither  man  nor 
time  has  effaced  the  dedicatory  inscription,  placed 
under  the  frieze,  and  surmounted  by  several  trophies. 
It  bears  the  simple  words : 

CiECILIiE 

Q.    CRETICI.   F. 

METELLA     CRASSI. 

Here,  then,  reposed  Cecilia  Metella,  the  daughter  of 
Quintus  C;ecilius  Metellus  Creticus,  who  was  consul 

*  Canina  (I/Arohitettura  Romana,  text,  3  part  page  217) 
maintains  that  the  roof  of  Cecilia  Metella' S  tomb  was  of  a  coni- 
cal form.  A  simple  inspection  of  the  interior  vault  of  the  monu- 
ment, proves  this  conjecture  to  be  well  founded. 


48  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

under  Augustus,  in  the  seventh  year  of  the  Christian 
era.     Crassus,  the  husband  of  Cecilia,  erected  this 
tomb  in  her  honor.     This  last  scion  of  the  house  of 
Crassus,  is  only  known  by  the  monument  he  erected 
to  his  noble  spouse.     Cecilia  herself,  has  no   other 
history  than  that  transcribed  upon  the  "marble.    Still, 
the  Christian  who  recalls  the  name  and  virtues  of 
Cecilia,  the  spouse  of  Christ,  can  scarcely  pass  with 
indifference,  this  tomb,  admired  even  by  the  profane 
archeologist,  for  its  severe  magnificence.     The  pre- 
destined martyr,  in  going  to  the  crypts  to  visit  the 
tombs  of  her  family,  and  to  receive  the  instructions 
of  St.  Urban,  must  have  more  than  once  stopped  to 
gaze  at  this  sepulchre,  which  contained  the  remains 
of  one  of  the  females  of  her  ancient  and  illustrious 
race ;  but  an  humble  tomb  in  the  vault  of  the  Appian 
Way,  merited  by  sufferings  endured  for  Christ,  seemed 
to  her  far  more  desirable  than  the  most  splendid 
mausoleum  which  her  opulent  family  could  erect  to 
her  memory  in  that  stately  Way. 

The  monument  of  Cecilia  Metella  served  as  a  fort- 
ress in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  ever  since  has  been 
disfigured  by  a  crown  of  battlements.  The  large 
sarcophagus  of  marble,  in  which  Crassus  deposited 
the  body  of  his  wife,  was  carried  away  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  placed  under  the  eortile  of  the 
Farnese  palace,  where  it  still  remains. 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  epoch  of  Alexander  Sev- 
erus,  and  after  casting  a  last  glance  at  the  sepulchre 
of  the  Pagan  Cecilia,  let  us  ascend  the  hill,  and  ad- 
mire one  of  the  most  sumptuous  and  luxurious 
villages  which  embellish  the  vicinity  of  the  Eternal 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  49 

City.  It  is  called  the  Pagus  Triopius,  and  owes  its 
origin  to  Herod  Atticus,  a  celebrated  rhetorician, 
who  was  consul  in  the  year  143  of  the  Christian  era. 
This  wealthy  Athenian  dedicated  the  village  as  a 
monument  to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  Anna  Eegilla,  of 
the  Julia  family.  In  his  inconsolable  grief  at  the  loss 
of  his  spouse,  he  not  only  dedicated  all  her  favorite 
jewels  to  the  Eleusinian  divinities,  Ceres  and  Pros- 
erpine, distributing  them  among  the  most  venerated 
sanctuaries  of  these  goddesses;  but  he  also  vowed  to 
them  that  he  would  expend  upon  this  region  of  the 
Appian  Way,  all  the  riches  left  by  his  lamented 
wife.  A  sacred  grove,  a  temple  in  honor  of  the  two 
Ceres,  a  sepulchral  field  dedicated  to  Minerva,  and 
to  Nemesis,  are  the  solemn  testimonials  of  the  regrets 
of  Herod  Atticus,  the  founder  of  this  Pagus,  which 
he  called  Triopius,  in  honor  of  Ceres,  whose  sanctu- 
ary at  Argos  bore  this  name* 

The  different  Greek  inscriptions,  representing  the 
dedication  of  this  field  of  mourning,  have  been  pre- 
served until  the  present  day,  and  the  two  principal,  in 
beautiful  Pentelican  marble,  after  having  ornamented 
the  Borghese  Villa  at  Eome,  for  two  centuries,  were, 
in  1808,  transported  to  Paris,  where  they  have  since 
remained.  The  quarries  of  this  marble,  so  famous  in  the 
history  of  Greece,  belonged  to  Herod  Atticus,  who 
nearly  exhausted  them  in  the  construction  of  the  Sta- 
dium Panathenaicum.f  It  was  not  long  before  numer- 
ous dwellings  were  erected  around  the  monument  of 

*  Visconti  (Ennio  Quirino).  Iscrlzioni  greche  Triopee.  Rome. 
1794.  page  5. 

f  Pausanias  and  Philostratus,  cited  by  Ennio  Visconti,  page  8. 

5 


50  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Anna  Eegilla.  The  Pagus  was  called  the  abode  of 
hospitality, — as  we  find  upon  one  of  the  inscriptions, 
and  during  the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus,  its  popu- 
lation was  considerable.  A  temple  of  Jupiter  was 
erected  upon  the  part  which  led  to  the  Appian  Way. 
Later  we  will  revisit  these  places. 

The  Appian  Way  becomes  more  level  after  leav- 
ing the  Pagus  Triopius.  In  the  distance  rises  Mt. 
Albanus  with  its  nine  cities,  its  loftiest  summit 
crowned  with  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Latialis.  The  an- 
cient Way,  so  long  buried  beneath  its  ruins,  has  reap- 
peared, thanks  to  the  munificence  of  the  immortal  Pius 
IX.  Innumerable  monuments  have  been  brought 
to  light,  and  we  of  the  present  day  tread  the  pave- 
ment furrowed  in  olden  times  by  the  chariots  of  the 
conquerors  of  the  world. 

Near  the  fourth  mile-stone,  not  far  from  Seneca's 
villa,  a  pyramid  of  barbarian  construction  attracts 
the  eye;  between  Eome  and  Alba  there  are  four 
others  very  similar.  It  is  a  popular  tradition  that 
these  monuments  were  erected  to  the  two  Horatii  and 
the  three  Curiatii*  However  this  may  be,  Livy,  the 
historian,  asserts  that  these  valiant  champions  were 
buried  in  this  locality.  "  Their  sepulchres,"  he  says, 
"  are  erected  on  the  spot  where  each  one  fell,  the  two 
Eomans  in  the  same  tomb,  near  Alba;  the  three 
Albans,  nearer  Eome,  at  a  little  distance  from  one 
another,  according  to   the  scene  of  combat,  f 

*  Nibby.  cited  by  Ennio  Visconti,  pages  543,  544. 

t  Sepulcra  extant  quo  quisque  loco  cecidit :  duo  romana  uno 
loco  propius  Albam ;  tria  albana  Romam  versus,  sed  distantia 
locis,  et  ut  pugnatuui  est.   Tit,  Liv.  lib.  i.  cap.  xxv. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  51 

Thus  the  traces  of  this  memorable  contest  which 
decided  the  victory  of  the  Eomans  over  the  Albans, 
were  not  effaced  from  the  Appian  soil,  and  may,  per- 
haps, be  recognizable  even  in  our  days.  But  the 
Eome  saved  by  the  blood  of  the  Horatii,  lies  buried 
under  the  ruins  heaped  up  by  the  ravages  of  time, 
and  of  barbarians ;  it  is  but  a  mutilated  corpse  of 
which  the  fragments  are  exhumed ;  whilst  the  Rome, 
for  which  the  martyrs  of  the  Appian  Way  combated, 
raises  its  imperishable  head  and  pursues  its  con- 
quests to  regions  not  even  coveted  by  the  boundless 
ambition  of  the  Caesars. 

It  is  time  for  us  to  return  to  the  city  where  St. 
Urban  and  Alexander  Severus  are  reigning,  each  in 
his  own  sphere.  Gladly  would  we  have  followed  the 
course  of  the  Appian  to  the  village  Tres  Tabernse,  for 
it  was  there  the  Apostle  Paul,  the  captive  of  Jesus 
Christ,  led  from  the  East  to  the  feet  of  Caesar  to 
whom  he  had  appealed,  was  met  by  the  Christians  of 
Eome,  who  had  gone  out  to  receive  him.*  But  we 
have  explored  sufficiently ;  for  already  we  have  passed 
the  places  which  will  be  mentioned  in  our  story. 
Nevertheless  before  retracing  our  steps  towards  Rome, 
let  us  admire  at  the  fifth  mile-stone,  the  monument 
of  Quintus  Cascilius,  the  uncle  of  Cicero's  celebrated 
friend,  Pomponius  Atticus.f  This  tomb,  the  ruins  of 
which  are  still  imposing,  will  recall  to  our  minds  the 
name  and  race  of  the  Christian  heroine  whose  holy 
footsteps  we  have  traced  on  this  Queen  of  Roman 
Ways,  where  every  thing  speaks  of  Cecilia,  the  glory 
of  her  ancestors,  and  the  sublimit}?-  of  her  virtues. 

*  Act.  xxviii.  15. 

f  Cornelius  Nepos.  In  T.  Pomponio  Attico.  cap.  xxii. 


52  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOUSE  IN  WHICH  CECILIA  PASSED  HER  YOUTH.  SHE  CONSECRATES 
HER  VIRGINITY  TO  GOD.  HER  PARENTS  PROMISE  HER  IN  MARRIAGE. 
VALERIAN  AND  TIBURTIUS. 

It  is  an  ancient  tradition  of  Christian  Eome  that 
the  house  in  which  Cecilia  lived  until  she  attained  a 
marriageable  age,  was  built  upon  the  Campus  Martius. 
A  Church  called  St.  Cecilia  de  Domo,*  was  erected 
at  an  early  period  upon  the  ground  formerly  occupied 
by  the  palace.  It  was  rebuilt  in  the  last  century, 
through  the  liberality  of  Benedict  XIII.,  as  we  will 
mention  in  its  proper  place,  and  the  following  inscrip- 
tion was  taken  from  the  ancient  church,  and  engraven 
in  mediaeval  characters  upon  an  antique  cippus : 

HAEC   EST  DOMVS 

m   QVA   ORABAT 

SANCTA    CAECILIA.f 

The  popular  title  (del  divino  amove)  which  has  been 
attached  to  .this  church  forcibly  reminds  us  that  it 
was  once  the  house  of  the  Cecilii,  which  was  truly  a 
temple  of  divine  love,  during  the  years  the  virgin 
passed  under  its  roof. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  house  of  a  patrician 
should  have  been  built  upon  the  Campus  Martius, 
although  ancient  writers  give  us  to  understand  that 
this  immense  tract  of  ground  was  destined  for  mili- 

*  See  the  certificate  of  Urban  III.,  of  the  Calends  of  March, 
given  in  full  by  Fonseca.  De  Basilica  S.  Laurentii  in  Damaso. 
Page  252. 

f  This  is  the  house  where  Saint  Cecilia  prayed.  This  inscrip- 
has  been  removed  to  the  Sacristy. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  53 

tary  exercises.  Many  temples  and  public  edifices 
were  erected  upon  a  large  portion  of  it  under  the 
Emperors,  and  Augustus,  in  his  sixth  consulate, 
caused  his  celebrated  mausoleum  to  be  constructed 
between  the  Flaminian  Way  and  the  left  bank 
of  the  Tiber,  even  beyond  the  locality  where  we 
have  placed  the  palace  of  the  Cecilii.  This  mau- 
soleum was  surrounded  by  groves  of  trees,  designed 
for  the  amusement  of  the  people.*  Later,  in  the 
third  century,  many  private  dwellings,  with  gardens 
attached,  being  erected  upon  the  plain,  the  Emperors 
were  thwarted  in  the  project  they  had  conceived,  of 
beautifying  this  region  with  an  immense  and  sumptu- 
ous portico,  the  pillars  of  which  should  reach  to  the 
Milvian  Bridget  This  field  for  military  exercises, 
was  consequently  more  and  more  circumscribed,  so 
that  nothing  prevents  our  believing  that,  during  the 
reign  of  Alexander  Severus,  the  Cecilii  family  erected 
a  palace  upon  ground  already  covered  with  public 
and  private  edifices,  and  situated  this  side  of  the  site 
where  Augustus,  two  centuries  previous,  had  built 
his  superb  mausoleum.  We,  therefore,  implicitly 
believe  the  tradition  respecting  the  situation  of  the 
Cecilii  palace.^     In  this  magnificent  dwelling,  deco- 

*  Suetonius,  in  Augusto.  cap.  100.  f  Julius  Capitolinus  and 
Trebellius  Pollion,  cited  by  Canina.   Ibid,  page  439. 

t  We  may  also  add  that  there  was  no  reason  for  pointing  out 
in  Rome,  the  house  in  which  Cecilia  lived  before  her  marriage, 
unless  an  ancient  and  venerable  tradition  had  been  really  attached 
to  the  place  where  the  church  of  St.  Cecilia  de  Domo  was  after- 
wards  built.  Rome  was  sufficiently  rich  in  the  possession  of 
the  house  where  St.  Cecilia  consummated  her  sacrifice.  This 
incontestable  monument  sufficed  for  the  piety  of  the  faithful ; 
there  was  no  necessity  of  gratuitously  imagining  the  existence 
of  a  house  upon  the  Campus  Martius.  5* 


54  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

rated  with  all  the  splendor  of  Eoman  pomp,  sur- 
sounded  by  the  trophies  and  crowns  of  her  ancestors, 
Cecilia,  despising  the  ostentation  and  attractions  of 
the  age,  practised  with  perfect  fidelity,  the  divine  law 
which  Christ  came  to  establish  upon  earth.  History 
throws  no  light  upon  the  means  used  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  win  her  to  this  celestial  doctrine ;  but  we 
know  that  from  her  earliest  infancy,  she  was  initiated 
in  the  mysteries  of  Christianity.  Probably  an  aged 
relative,  or  faithful  nurse,  previously  illuminated  by 
the  true  light,  instructed  the  young  girl  in  the  princi- 
ples of  that  faith,  the  profession  of  which,  in  those 
days,  almost  necessarily  involved  the  sacrifice  of 
earthly  happiness. 

Although  Cecilia's  parents  were  Pagans,  they  do 
not  appear  to  have  opposed  the  attachment  of  their 
daughter  to  a  religion  which  was  daily  gaining  ground 
in  Eome,  and  which  had  followers  even  in  the  impe- 
rial household.  Either  through  tenderness  or  indiffer- 
ence, they  permitted  her  to  practise  her  religion,  and 
attend  the  assemblies  of  the  Christians.  During  the 
respite  from  persecution,  a  calm  which  was  but  the 
precursor  of  a  storm,  Cecilia  publicly  attended  the 
celebration  of  the  divine  mysteries  in  the  churches 
where  the  faithful  were  wont  to  assemble.  She  fre- 
quented the  crypts  of  the  martyrs,  where  the  festivals 
of  those  Christian  heroes  frequently  gathered  the 
faithful  of  Eome  ;  and  the  poor,  who  were  entrusted 
with  the  secret  of  St.  Urban's  retreat,  knew  her  well, 
and  promptly  delivered  all  her  messages. 

The  Christians  of  this  period  lived  in  continual 
expectation  of  martyrdom;  the  thought  of  it  seemed 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  55 

a  necessary  element  in  all  tlieir  plans  for  tlie  future  ; 
even  as  a  sailor,  who  commences  a  long  sea  voyage, 
lias  ever  present  to  his  mind  the  dangers  of  a  storm. 
Cecilia  did  not  shrink  from  this  prospect,  so  formid- 
able to  nature.  On  the  contrary,  she  found  rest  and 
consolation  in  the  thought  that  martyrdom  would 
unite  her  forever  to  Christ,  who  had  deigned  to  choose 
her  from  the  bosom  of  a  Pagan  family,  and  to  reveal 
himself  to  her.  Whilst  awaiting  the  happy  summons, 
her  heart  was  constantly  united  to  that  of  her  divine 
Master,  with  whom  she  held  colloquies  day  and  night.* 
Eavished  with  the  charms  of  this  interior  communi- 
cation, she  sought  Him  at  all  times  in  the  holy  ora- 
cles, and  the  book  of  the  Gospels,  hidden  under  her 
garments,  ever  rested  on  her  heart.f  She  derived 
from  this  sacred  contact,  a  supernatural  courage  which 
elevated  her  above  the  weakness  of  human  nature, 
whilst  the  vivifying  unction  of  the  words  which  are 
spirit  and   life  (John  vi.,  verse  64.)  was  communi- 

*  Non  diebus,  non  noctibus,  a  colloquiis  divinis  et  oratione 
cessabat.  Acta  S,  Cecilice,  edit,  of  Bosio  (1G00)  and  of  Laderchi 
(1723). 

f  This  custom  of  the  first  Christians,  of  carrying  the  Gospel 
concealed  under  their  garments,  was  still  preserved  in  the  fourth, 
and  fifth  centuries.  St.  Jerome  speaks  of  it  as  being  very  fre- 
quent among  the  Christian  females,  (in  Matthaeum,  lib.  iv.  ad 
caput  xxiii.  6.)  and  St.  John  Chrysostom  says  :  They  wore  it 
suspended  around  their  necks.  (Ad  populum  Antioch.  Homil. 
xix.  n°  4.)  We  find  remains  of  this  pious  practice  among  the 
Irish  Catholics,  who,  during  their  travels,  or  while  ill,  are  in  the 
habit  of  wearing  the  opening  verses  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John, 
(verses  1 — 14.)  printed  upon  a  sheet  of  paper.  At  the  present 
time,  when  so  many  emigrate  to  America,  it  is  probable  that 
scarcely  one  could  be  found,  who  has  not  this  sacred  text  sewed 
in  his  garments. 


56  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

cated  to  her.  The  hand  of  the  celestial  spouse  could 
alone  claim  the  privilege  of  culling  this  fresh  and 
fragrant  flower  from  among  the  thorns  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  he  inspired  the  heart  of  Cecilia  with  a  love  wor- 
thy of  that  which  he  had  shown  her  by  dying  upon 
the  cross.  The  virgin  fully  responded  to  the  advances 
of  her  God,  and  vowed  in  her  heart  never  to  accept  a 
mortal  spouse.  It  is  not  known  whether  she  received 
from  St.  Urban  the  sacred  veil  which  Pudentianaand 
Praxedes  had  worn  with  honor,  and  which  formed  the 
most  beautiful  ornament  of  many  Eoman  virgins. 
Cecilia  may  have  privately  made,  in  the  secrecy  of 
her  own  heart,  the  sacrifice  of  human  affections,  to 
consecrate  herself  to  an  eternal  love.  The  spouse 
who  had  called  her  to  be  the  bride  of  heaven,  accepted 
her  vows,  and  awaited  in  eternity,  the  day  of  their 
union.  But  where  will  this  young  maiden,  whose 
soul  is  in  heaven  while  her  feet  still  tread  the  earth, 
find  a  protector  in  this  most  profane  of  cities,  and  in 
the  bosom  of  a  Pagan  family  ?  The  Spouse  she  has 
chosen  will  defend  His  bride ;  He  has  commanded 
her  guardian  angel  to  appear  to  her ;  this  celestial 
messenger  has  assured  Cecilia  of  his  protection ;  he 
will  shield  her  from  the  world  and  its  perils.  She 
will  be  conscious  that  he  is  ever  at  her  side,  ready  to 
strike  with  his  avenging  arm,  the  rash  mortal  who 
would  presume  to  touch  the  treasure  of  heaven. 

However,  the  virgin  could  not  expect  to  gain  with- 
out combat  the  nuptial  crown  destined  for  her ;  and 
she  was  soon  called  upon  to  merit  it  by  a  painful 
trial.  Adorned  with  every  natural  grace,  faint  image 
of  the  beauty  of  her  soul,  Cecilia  was  fitted  for  the 


LIFE  OP  SAINT  CECILIA.  57 

most  illustrious  alliance.  Her  parents,  proud  of  their 
daughter,  determined  to  unite  her  in  marriage  to  some 
noble  patrician.  Incapable  of  understanding  the 
sublime  love  which  consumed  the  heart  of  Cecilia, 
and  the  ties  which  bound  her  to  heaven,  they  sought 
for  her  an  earthly  spouse,  and  thus  compelled  the 
bride  of  Christ  to  receive  a  mortal  bridegroom. 

Marriages  between  Christians  and  Pagans  still  oc- 
curred at  this  epoch ;  though  they  sometimes  led  into 
difficult  situations,  they  were  often  the  instruments 
employed  by  God,  to  gain  the  infidel  party  to  the 
true  faith.  The  Church,  however,  conformably  to 
the  Apostolic  doctrine,*  strongly  disaproved  of  them ; 
necessity  alone  could  excuse  the  faithful  who  con- 
tracted them.f  Cecilia,  as  we  have  said,  was  forced 
by  the  imperious  will  of  her  parents,  notwithstand- 
ing her  vow  of  virginity,  tc  marry  a  young  pagan. 
The  wisdom  and  greatness  of  God  could  alone  triumph 
over  so  painful  a  situation. 

Valerian  was  the  name  of  the  young  Eoman,  des- 
tined, according  to  human  views,  to  receive  the  hand 
of  Cecilia.  His  noble  birth,  handsome  person,  and 
generous  qualities,  seemed  to  render  him  worthy  such 
an  honor,  and  he  ardently  longed  for  the  day,  when 
he  would  possess  the  treasure  coveted  by  so  many 
young  patricians.  The  happy  bridegroom  had  a 
brother,  named  Tiburtius,  whom  he  loved  with  that 
ingenuous  and  devoted  affection  which  was  one  of  the 
principal  features  of  his  character.     It  made  him 

*  II.  Cor.  vi.  14.  f  We  find  nevertheless  many  celebrated  ex- 
amples after  the  third  century  ;  In  the  fourth,  St.  Monica  mar- 
ried Patricius,  a  Pagan.    In  the  fifth,  St.  Clotilda  married  Clovis, 


58  LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

happy  to  think  that  his  "anion  with  Cecilia  would 
strengthen  the  tender  bonds  which  united  them.  The 
two  brothers  were  not  mistaken  in  their  hope ;  but 
God  alone  knew  to  what  an  extent  the  love  planted 
in  their  hearts  by  Cecilia,  would  surpass  all  earthly 
affection  ;  and  how  soon  these  two  brothers  and  their 
sister  would  pass  to  a  region  where  pure  souls  are 
united  in  the  bosom  of  infinite  love. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANXIETY  OP  SAINT  CECILIA  AT  HER  APPROACHING  tTNIOS  WITH 
VALERIAN.  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  MARRIAGE.  CONFIDENCE  RE- 
POSED  IN   VALERIAN   BY   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Cecilia  was  not  at  liberty  to  refuse  the  testimonies 
of  affection  lavished  upon  her  by  Valerian.  Full  of 
esteem  for  the  noble  qualities  of  this  young  Pagan, 
she  could  have  loved  him  as  a  brother ;  but  she  was 
betrothed  to  him,  and  the  wedding-day  was  rapidly 
approaching.  Who  can  conceive  the  anguish  of  the 
young  virgin?  The  irresistible  command  of  her 
parents,  the  high  spirit  of  the  young  man,  chilled 
her  blood  with  fear,  and  she  had  no  other  resource, 
than  to  bury  deeper  in  her  soul,  the  chaste  secret  of 
that  love  which  reigned  supreme  in  her  heart.* 

She  knew  that  her  angel  watched  over  her,  but  she 

*  Parentum  enim  tanta  vis  et  sponsi  circa  illam  erat  exaes- 
tuans,  ut  non  posset  amorem  sui  cordis  ostendere,  et  quod 
Christum  solum  diligeret  indiciis  evidentibus  aperire.  Acta  S. 
CmcilicB. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  "CECILIA.  59 

would  soon  be  forced  to  contend  for  herself;  it  was 
time  to  prepare  for  combat.  Under  a  magnificent 
dress,  embroidered  with  gold,  she  wore  a  hair  shirt, 
seeking  thus  to  mortify  her  innocent  flesh,*  and  bring 
it  into  subjection  to  the  spirit,  that  it  might  not  recoil, 
when  she  would  be  called  upon  to  pay  with  her  blood, 
the  signal  honor  of  being  the  chosen  bride  of  heaven. 
Condemned  to  live  in  the  midst  of  patrician  effemi- 
nacy, she  took  every  precaution  to  deaden  by  volun- 
tary suffering,  that  attraction  to  pleasure  which 
tyrannizes  over  the  children  of  Eve,  and  too  fre- 
quently reveals  to  an  imprudent  and  negligent  soul, 
the  deep  corruption  of  the  human  heart. 

If,  following  the  example  of  the  widow  of  Bethulia, 
Cecilia  concealed  under  her  garments  the  instruments 
of  her  penance,  like  David,  she  also  weakened  her 
flesh  by  rigorous  fasts.  According  to  the  custom  of 
the  first  Christians,  when  they  wished  to  appease 
heaven,  or  obtain  some  signal  favor,  she  abstained 
from  food  two,  and  sometimes  three  days,  only  taking 
in  the  evening  a  slight  repast  necessary  to  support 
life.f  This  courageous  preparation  by  means  of 
which  she  hoped  to  insure  victory,  was  rendered  still 
more  efficacious  by  her  continual  and  ardent  prayers. 
With  heartfelt  earnestness  she  recommended  to  God 
the  dreaded  hour !  J  With  tears  and  sighs  she  im- 
plored the  assistance  of  the  celestial  spirits  who  co- 
operate in  our  salvation,  of  the  holy  Apostles,  patrons 

*  Csecilia  vero  subtus  ad  carnam  cilicio  induta,  desuper  auro 
textis  vestibus  tegebatur.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 
f  Biduanis  ac  triduanis  jejuniis  orans.     Ibid. 
X  Cominendabat  Domino  quod  tiniebat.     Ibid. 


60  LIFE   OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

and  founders  of  Christian  Kome,  of  the  blessed  in- 
habitants of  heaven  who  protect  our  combats.'55.  The 
favor  which  Cecilia  so  fervently  solicited,  was  granted ; 
but  her  celestial  spouse  was  pleased  to  try  his  noble 
bride,  that  her  virtue  might  be  strengthened  and 
purified.  Was  she  not  soon,  in  return  for  so  much 
suffering,  to  enter  into  the  possession  of  eternal  hap- 
piness? Moreover,  the  approaching  conflict  which 
was  to  crown  her  with  so  much  glory,  was  but  the 
prelude  to  those  combats  in  the  midst  of  which,  she 
would  require  a  manly  courage,  not  yet  sufficiently 
developed  in  her  heart  by  divine  love. 

The  day  finally  arrives  when  Valerian  is  to  receive 
the  hand  of  Cecilia,  f  The  palace  of  the  Cecilii  is  in 
a  state  of  commotion.  The  heart  of  the  young  man 
bounds  with  happiness,  and  the  two  families,  proud 
of  being  united  in  their  children,  look  forward  to  the 
hope  of  a  posterity  worthy  their  ancestors.  Cecilia  $ 
is  led  forward,  attired  in  the  nuptial  dress  of  the  patri- 
cian ladies.  The  purity  of  her  soul  is  well  repre- 
sented by  her  simple  §  white  woolen  tunic,  trimmed 
with  bands,||  and  fastened  with  a  white  woollen  gir- 

*  Invitabit  Angelos  precibus,  lacryniis  interpellabat  Apostolos> 
et  sancta  agmina  omnia  Christo  fainulantia  exorabat,  ut  suis 
earn  deprecationibus  adjuvarant,  suam  Domino  pndicitiam  com- 
mendantes.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Venit  dies  in  quo  thalamus  collocatus  est.   Ibid. 
J  Claustra  panditi,  jannae : 

Virgo  adest.     Viden'  ut  faces 
Splendidas  quatiunt  comas  ? 
CatulL  in  nuptias  Julias  et  Manlii.  Carm.  lxi 
§  Plinii  Nat.  Histor.  lib.  viii.  cap.  lxxiv. 
II  Segmenta  et  longos  habitus  et  flammea  sumit.      ^ 

Juvenal  Sat.  ii,  v.  24. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  61 

die  *  This  modest  apparel,  the  last  trace  of  the  ancient 
gravity  of  Roman  customs,  was,  at  the  same  time,  a 
glorious  reminiscence  in  the  Cecilii  family  ;  the  plain 
robe  of  the  bride  being  a  memento  of  that  woven  by 
the  royal  matron,  Caia  Cecilia.f.  The  hair  of  the  virgin, 
according  to  custom,  was  divided  into  six  tresses,^ 
which  was  at  once  an  imitation  of  the  Vestal  head- 
dress^ and  a  touching  symbol  of  Cecilia's  consecra- 
tion.! A  flame-colored  veil  concealed  from  profane 
eyes  her  maiden  beauty,  on  which  the  angels  gazed 
with  admiration.  At  this  solemn  moment,  the  vir- 
gin's heart  was  firm  and  calm ;  she  confided  in  the 
protection  of  her  guardian  angel.  For  the  first  time, 
she  was  compelled  to  endure  the  celebration  of  Pagan 
ceremonies.  The  wine  and  milk  were  offered  in  her  pres- 
ence,^ but  she  turned  away  her  eyes.     The  cake, 

*  Festus  upon  the  word  Cingulus. 

f  Caia  Caecilia  prima  texuit  rectam  tunicam,  quales  cum  toga 
pura  tirones  induuntur,  novceque  nuptae.  Plin,  Nat.  Hist.  lib. 
viii.  cap.  lxxiv.         J  Festus  on  the  word  Senis. 

§  The  Romans  permitted  brides,  on  the  day  of  their  marriage, 
the  privilege  of  dressing  the  hair  like  the  Vestals,  as  a  last 
homage  to  their  virginity. 

||  Tollite,  o  pueri,  faces  ; 

Flammeum  video  venire. —  CatulL    Carm.  lxi. 
Timidum  nuptae  leviter  tectura  pudorem 
Lutea  demissos  velarunt  iiarumea  vultus. 

Lucan.  Pharsal.  ii.  v.  360. 
We  find  the  use  of  this  veil,  called  flammeum,  even  in  the 
marriages  of  Christians,  until  the  fourth  century,  as  is  attested 
by  St.  Ambrose,  (de  Virginitate,  cap.  xv.)  who  calls  it  the 
nuptial  flammeum.  Among  the  Pagans,  the  bride  wore  it  to  ex- 
press the  stability  she  intended  maintaining  in  the  conjugal 
state,  because  this  flame-colored  veil  was  the  distinctive  badge 
of  the  Flaminian  women  to  whom  divorce  was  prohibited  by  law. 
IT  Servius,  in  Georg.  i.  v.  244.  Macrobe.  Saturn,  iii.  11. 

6 


62  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

symbol  of  alliance,  was  broken, *  and  Cecilia's  timid 
hand,  adorned  with  the  invisible  ring  of  the  spouse 
of  Christ,  was  placed  in  that  of  Valerian.  All  was 
accomplished  in  the  eyes  of  man,  and  the  virgin,  over 
whom  heaven  was  watching,  had  taken  another  step 
towards  danger.  According  to  an  ancient  custom, 
the  bride  was  conducted  to  the  dwelling  of  her  hus- 
band, at  sunset.f  The  house  of  Valerian  was  situated 
in  the  trans-Tiberian  region,  near  the  Salutaris  Way, 
a  short  distance  from  the  Cestius  Bridge,  which  con- 
nects the  island  of  the  Tiber  to  the  Janiculum  dis- 
trict.^: This  mansion,  the  last  earthly  dwelling  of 
Cecilia,  was  destined  soon  to  surpass  in  glory,  the 
palaces,  baths,  and  temples,  which  surrounded  it,§ 
and  of  which  the  antiquaries  of  the  present  day  can 
scarcely  find  a  trace.  A  sanctuary,  consecrated  by 
the  blood  of  a  virgin,  it  was  to  survive  all  the  dis- 
asters of  Eome,  and  to  proclaim  through  the  course 
of  ages,  the  fidelity  of  her  who  dwelt  for  a  short 
period  beneath  its  roof.  Nuptial  torches  preceded 
the  retinue  which  accompanied  Cecilia  to  the  dwell- 

*  Servius,  in  Georg.  i.  v.  31.    Pline.  xvii.  3. 
f  Vesper  adest,  juvenes,  consurgite,  vesper  olynipo 

Exspectata  diu  vix  tandem  lumina  tollit. 
Jam  veniet  virgo,  jam  dicetur  Hynienoeus. 

Catull.  Carm.  lxii. 
t  The  ancient  topographical  monuments  of  Rome  describe  in 
the  trans-Tiberian  region,  a  district  which  they  designate  under 
the  name  of  Statuce  Valeriana.  This  denomination,  which  is 
not  explained  by  any  of  the  archaeologists,  probably  refers  to 
some  monument  of  the  Valerian  family. 

§  See  in  Canina  (Roma  antica.  pages  533,  605)  a  detailed 
account  of  the  monuments  of  the  14th  Region  of  Rome,  situated 
beyond  the  Tiber. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  63 

ing  of  her  husband.  The  crowd  extolled  the  charms 
of  the  young  virgin,  but  she  conversed  in  her  heart, 
with  that  Almighty  God  who  preserved  the  three 
children  in  the  fiery  furnace,  and  saved  Daniel  from 
the  lion's  fury.  These  memorials  of  the  ancient 
covenant,  so  frequently  carved  upon  the  crypts  which 
Cecilia  had  piously  visited,  animated  her  courage,  as 
they  had  strengthened  that  of  the  martyrs.  At  length, 
the  bridal  party  arrived  at  the  palace.  Under  the  por- 
tico, decorated  with  white  tapestry,  embroidered  with 
festoons  of  flowers  and  leaves,*  Valerian  awaited 
Cecilia.  According  to  the  ancient  custom,  the  bride- 
groom saluted  his  bride  with  this  question :  "  Who 
art  thou?"  The  bride  replied,  "Where  thou  art 
Caius,  I  will  be  Caia."f  The  allusion  was  doubly 
touching  at  the  marriage  of  one  of  the  daughters  of 
the  Cecilii  family,  this  formula  being  another  remi- 
niscence of  Caia  Cecilia,  who  was  venerated  by  the 
Eomans,  as  the  type  of  woman,  in  her  domestic  rela- 
tions. The  Christian  Cecilia  found  a  more  accom- 
plished model  in  the  portrait  drawn  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  of  the  strong  woman,  and  Valerian  was  soon 
to  comprehend  the  truth  of  this  divine  oracle,  so 
fully  accomplished  in  his  spouse.  "  Strength  and 
beauty  are  her  clothing,  and  she  shall  laugh  in  the 

*  Necte  coronam 
PostFbus,  et  densos  per  limina  tende  corymbos. 

Juvenal.  Sat.  vi.   v.   51,   52. 
Ornentur  postes,  et  grandi  janua  lauro. 

Ibid.  v.  79. 
\   Ubi  ta  Caius,  ego  Caia.  Valere-Maxime.  De  nominum  ratione. 
Festus,  on  the  words  Ga'ia,   llecta,  and  Reg  ilia.  Alexander  ab 
Alexandre   Genialium  dierum.  ii.  5. 


64  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA, 

latter  day.  She  hath  opened  her  mouth  to  wisdom, 
and  the  law  of  clemency  is  on  her  tongue.  Her 
husband  rose  up,  and  he  praised  her."  ( Proverbs, 
xxxi.  25—28.)  Cecilia  then  crossed  the  threshold  of 
the  door.*  We  have  reason  to  believe,  that,  being 
a  Christian,  she  was  not  compelled  to  conform  to  the 
superstitious  ceremonies  observed  by  the  Eomans, 
at  the  entrance  of  a  bride  under  the  conjugal  roof. 
Those  which  followed  were  more  congenial  to  a 
Christian.  Water  was  presented  to  the  bride,  as  an 
emblem  of  the  purity  with  which  she  should  be 
adorned  ;f  a  key  was  placed  in  her  hands,  as  a  sym- 
bol of  the  interior  administration,  henceforth  confided 
to  her  care ;  J  and  finally  she  seated  herself  for  a 
moment  upon  a  fleece,§  to  remind  her  that  she  must 
not  shrink  from  domestic  labor.  The  bridal  party 
then  passed  into  the  Triclinium,  where  the  wedding 
supper  was  served.  During  the  banquet,  an  epithala- 
mium  was  sung,  celebrating  the  union  of  Valerian 
and  Cecilia,  and  a  band  of  musicians  made  the  hall 
re-echo  with  the  harmony  of  their  instruments.! 
During  these  profane  concerts,  Cecilia  also  sang  in 
the  depth  of  her  heart,  and  her  melody  was  united 
to  that  of  the  angels.    She  repeated  that  verse  of 

*  Transfer  omine  cum  bono 
Limen  aureolos  pedes, 
Rasilemdue  subi  forem. 

Catull.    Carm.  lxi. 
t  Festus,  on  the  word  Aquce.      t  Festus,  on  the  word  Clavis. 
§  Festus,  on  the  word  Pellis. 
||  Ite,  concinite  in  modum  : 
Io  Hymen  Hymenaee  io, 
Io  Hymen  Hymenoee. 

Catull.  ibid* 


\ 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  65 

the  Psalmist,  so  well  adapted  to  her  situation  :  u  May 
my  heart  and  my  senses  remain  always  pure,  0,  my 
God !  and  may  my  chastity  be  preserved  inviolable."* 
The  Church  has  faithfully  preserved  these  words  of 
the  virgin.  They  are  recited  each  year,  on  the  day 
of  her  triumph  ;  and  to  honor  the  sublime  concert, 
in  which  she  sang  with  the  celestial  spirits,  and  which 
surpassed  all  the  melodies  of  earth,  she  has  been 
styled  "  Queen  of  Harmony ." 

After  the  banquet,  matrons  guided  Cecilia's  trem- 
bling steps  to  the  door  of  the  nuptial  chamber,  f  deco- 
rated with  all  the  effeminacy  of  Eoman  luxury,  and 
rendered  still  more  imposing  by  its  silence  and  ob- 
scurity.^: Valerian  followed  the  virgin.  When  they 
were  alone,  Cecilia,  strengthened  by  divine  grace,  ad- 
dressed her  husband  these  gentle  and  touching  words : 
"  My  generous  friend,  I  have  a  secret  to  confide  to  thee  ; 
swear  that  thou  wilt  respect  it."§  Valerian  vehemently 
protested  that  he  would  preserve  the  secret  of  his  bride, 
and  that  nothing  should  ever  force  him  to  reveal  it. 
"  Listen,  then,"  resumed  Cecilia,  "  I  am  under  the  care 
of  an  angel  whom  God  has  appointed  protector  of  my 
virginity.    If  thou  shouldest  violate  it,  his  fury  will  be 

«  *  Cantantibus  organis,  Csecilia  in  corde  suo  soli  Domino  de 
cantabat  dicens  :  Fiat  cor  meum  ct  corpus  meuni  immaculatum 
ut  non  confundar.   Acta  S.    Ccecilice. 

Vos  bona)  senibus  viris 
Cognitse  bene  fcminae, 
Collocate  pucllulam.        Catull.  Carm.  lxi. 
t  Sed  cum  licec  agerentur,  venit  nox  in  qua  suscepit  una  cum 
sponso  suo  cubiculi  secreta  silentia.     Ibid. 

§  0  dulcissime  et  amantissime  juvenis,  est  mysterium  quod 
tibi  confiteor,  si  modo  tu  juratus  asseras  tota  te  illud  observantia 
custodire.     Ibid. 

6* 


66  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

enkindled  against  thee,  and  thou  wilt  fall  a  victim 
to  his  vengeance.  If  on  the  other  hand,  thou  wilt 
respect  it,  he  will  favor  thee  with  his  love,  and  obtain 
for  thee  many  blessings."* 

Astonished  and  agitated,  the  young  man,  who  was 
unconsciously  controlled  by  grace,  replied  respect- 
fully :  "  Cecilia,  if  thou  wishest  me  to  believe  thee, 
let  me  see  this  angel.  When  I  have  seen  him,  if  I 
recognize  him  as  one  of  God's  angels,  I  will  comply 
with  thy  request ;  but  if  thou  lovest  another  man, 
know  that  I  will  destroy  both  him  and  thee  with  my 
sword."f 

Cecilia  continued  with  ineffable  authority :  "  Vale- 
rian, if  thou  wilt  follow  my  advice,  if  thou  wilt  con- 
sent to  be  purified  by  the  waters  of  the  fountain  of 
eternal  life,  if  thou  wilt  believe  in  the  only  true  and 
living  God  who  reigns  in  heaven,  thou  shalt  see  my 
guardian  angel.";]:  "  And  who  will  purify  me  that  I 
may  see  thy  Angel?"  exclaimed  Valerian.§  "  There 
is  a  venerable  old  man,"  replied  Cecilia,  "who  puri- 

*  Angelum  Dei  habeo  amatorem  qui  nimio  zelo  corpus  meum 
custodit ;  hie  si  vel  leviter  senserit  quod  tu  me  polluto  amore 
contingas,  statim  circa  te  suum  furorem  exagitat,  et  amittis 
floremtuae  gratissimoB  juventutis  ;  si  autem  cognoverit  quod  me 
sincero  corde  et  immaculato  amore  diligas,  et  virginitatem  meam 
integram  illibatamque  custodias,  ita  te  quoque  diligit  sicut  me, 
et  ostendit  tibi  gratiam  suam.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Si  vis  et  credam  sermonibus  tuis,  ostende  mihi  ipsum  An- 
gelum et  si  approbavero  quod  vere  Angelus  Dei  sit,  faciam  quod 
hortaris  ;  si  autem  virum  alterum  diligis,  et  te  et  ilium  gladio 
feriam.     Ibid, 

X  Si  consiliis  meis  acquiescas,  et  permittas  te  purificari  fonte 
perenni,  et  credas  unum  Deum  esse  in  coelis  vivum  et  verum, 
poteris  eum  videre.     Ibid, 

§  Et  quis  erit  qui  me  purificet,  ut  ego  angelum  videam  ?  Ibid, 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  67 

fies  mortals,  after  which  they  may  see  the  Angel  of  * 
God."*  "  Where  shall  I  find  this  venerable  old  man  ?" 
cried  Valerian.     "  Go  out  of  the  city  by  the  Appian 
Way,"  replied  Cecilia,  u  as  far  as  the  third  mile-stone, 
there  thou  wilt  find  some  poor  beggars  who  ask  alms 
of  the  passers  by.     These  poor  creatures  are  objects 
of  my  constant  solicitude,  and  my  secret  is  known  to 
them.      When  you  approach  them,  give  them  my 
blessing,  and  say  to  them,  Cecilia  sends  me  to  you 
and  begs  you  will  conduct  me  to  the  holy  old  man 
Urban ;  I  have  a  private  message  to  deliver  to  him. 
When  introduced  into  the  presence  of  the  holy  man, 
repeat  to  him  what  I  have  just  told  thee ;  he  will 
purify  thee  and  clothe  thee  in  new  and  white  garments. 
On  thy  return  to  this  apartment,  thou  wilt  see  the 
holy  Angel,  who  will  then  be  thy  friend,  and  obtain 
for  thee  all  thou  desirest."f 

*  Est  senior  qui  novit  purificare  homines,  ut  mereantur  videre 
Angelum  Dei.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Vade  in  tertium  milliarium  ab  urbe,  via  quae  Appia  nuncu- 
patur ;  illic  invenies  pauperes  a  transeuntibus  alimonise  petentes 
auxilium ;  de  his  enim  mihi  semper  cura  fuit,  et  optime  hujus 
mei  secreti  sunt  conscii :  hos  tu  dum  videris,  dabis  eis  benedic- 
tionem  meam,  dicens :  Caecilia  me  misit  ad  vos,  ut  ostendatis 
mihi  sanctum  senem  Urbanum ;  quoniam  ad  ipsum  habeo  ejus 
secreta  mandata,  quae  perferam.  Hunc  tu,  dum  videris,  indica 
ei  omnia  verba  mea,  et  dum  te  purificaverit,  induet  te  vesti- 
mentis  novis  et  candidis,  cum  quibus,  mox  ut  ingressus  fueris 
istud  cubiculum,  videbis  angelum  sanctum  etiam  tui  amatorem 
effectum,  et  omnia  quae  ab  ipso  poposceris,  impetrabis.     Ibid. 


68  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

CHAPTEE   VII. 

VALERIAN    REPAIRS    TO    POPE  SAINT  URBAN.       HE  IS    BAPTIZED.       HIS 
RETURN.       ARRIVAL    OF    TIBURTIUS. 

Urged  by  an  unknown  power,  the  young  Bom  an, 
a  moment  ago  so  full  of  fire,  quitted  without  an  effort 
the  virgin  whose  gentle  accents  had  softened  his  heart, 
and  before  day-break  reached  Urban,  having  found 
every  thing  as  Cecilia  had  predicted.  He  related  to 
the  Pontiff  his  interview  with  his  bride  in  the  nuptial 
chamber,  which  at  once  explained  his  presence.  The 
venerable  old  man,  overjoyed  at  the  glad  tidings,  fell 
upon  his  knees,  and  raising  his  hands  to  heaven,  his 
eyes  moistened  with  tears,  exclaimed:  "Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  author  of  chaste  resolves,  receive  the  fruit  of 
the  divineseed  Thou  hast  sown  in  the  heart  of  Cecilia. 
Good  Shepherd,  Cecilia,  thy  servant,  like  an  innocent 
lamb,*  has  fulfilled  the  mission  Thou  hast  confided 
to  her.  In  a  moment,  she  has  transformed  her  hus- 
band from  an  impetuous  lion,  into  a  gentle  lamb. 

*  Hughes  of  Saint-Cher,  commenting  these  words  of  Isaias  : 
11  Leo  et  ovis  simul  morabuntur,"  ingeniously  applies  them  to  St. 
Cecilia,  who,  like  an  innocent  Lamb,  dwelt  with  Valerian, 
figured  by  the  Lion.  The  allusion  is  equally  clear  in  St  Urban's 
words.  This  renders  inexplicable  the  change  which  these  words 
have  undergone  in  one  of  the  Anthems  of  St.  Cecilia's  office, 
where,  since  the  ninth  century  we  read  apis,  instead  of  ovis. 
It  is  evident  that  the  text  is  modified  by  this  reading,  and  that 
the  thread  of  the  discourse  is  broken.  The  Ambrosian  Missal, 
in  which  the  words  of  St.  Urban  form  the  Offertory  of  St.  Cecilia's 
Mass,  has  preserved  the  lesson  ovis,  as  we  read  it  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Saint.  St.  Bernard  likewise  read  it  so,  as  we  see  by  a 
very  pointed  allusion,  in  his  life  of  Saint  Malachy. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  69 

If  Yalerian  did  not  already  believe  lie  would  not  be 
here.  Oh,  Lord !  open  the  ear  of  his  heart  to  Thy 
words,  that  he  may  acknowledge  Thee,  his  Creator, 
and  that  he  may  forever  renounce  the  devil,  his 
pomps,  and  his  idols."* 

Urban  remained  a  long  time  in  prayer ;  Valerian 
was  deeply  touched.  Suddenly,  a  venerable  old  man, 
with  garments  white  as  snow,  appeared  before  them, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  book,  written  in  characters  of 
gold.  It  was  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  St. 
Paul,  the  second  pillar  of  the  Eoman  Church.  At 
this  imposing  sight,  Valerian,  half  dead  with  terror, 
fell  prostrate  upon  the  ground.  The  august  old  man 
kindly  assisted  him  to  rise,  saying,  "Bead  this  book 
and  believe.  Thou  wilt  then  be  worthy  of  being 
purified,  and  of  contemplating  the  Angel  whom 
Cecilia  promised  thou  shouldst  see."f 

Valerian  raised  his  eyes,  and  without  pronouncing 
the  words,  commenced  to  read  the  following  passage : 
"One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism;  one  God  and 
Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and 


*  Domine  Jesu  Christe,  seminator  casti  consilii,  suscipe  se- 
minum  fructus  quos  in  CoBcilia  seminasti.  Domine  Jesu  Christe, 
Pastor  bone,  Caecilia  famula  tua,  quasi  ovis  argumentosa  tibi 
deservit ;  nam  sponsum,  quern  quasi  leonem  ferocem  accepit,  ad 
te  Domine,  quasi  agnum  mansuetissimum  destinavit ;  iste  hue, 
nisi  crederit,  non  venisset :  aperi  ergo  Domine  cordis  ejus  januarn 
sermonibus  tuis,  ut  te  Creatorem  suum  esse  cognoscens,  re- 
nuntiet  Diabolo,  et  pompis  ejus,  et  idolis  ejus.  Acta  S.  Ccecelicc. 

t  Lege  hujus  libri  textum,  et  crede,  ut  purificari  merearis, 
et  videre  angelum,cujus  tibi aspectum Caecilia  virgo  devotissima 
repromisit.     Ibid. 


70  LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

in  us  all."*  When  tie  had  finished  reading,  the  old 
man  said  to  him :  "  Believest  thou  this  ?"  Valerian 
energetically  exclaimed :  "  There  is  nothing  more 
true  under  heaven  ;  nothing  which  should  be  more 
firmly  believed."  f  As  he  ceased  speaking,  the  old 
man  disappeared  and  left  Valerian  alone  with  the 
Pontiff.  St.  Urban  at  once  conducted  the  young  man 
to  the  fountain  of  salvation,  and  after  admitting  him 
to  the  most  august  mysteries  of  the  faith  of  Christ, 
told  him  to  return  to  his  bride. 

Cecilia  had  conquered,  and  the  first  trophy  of  her 
victory,  was  the  heart  of  Valerian,  offered  to  the 
Saviour  of  mankind.  During  the  absence  of  her 
husband,  she  had  not  left  the  nuptial  chamber,  still 
re-echoing  with  the  sublime  converse  of  the  preced- 
ing night,  and  redolent  with  the  celestial  perfume  of 
virginity.  She  had  unceasingly  prayed  for  the  con- 
summation of  the  great  work,  her  words  had  com- 
menced, and  she  awaited  with  confidence  the  return 
of  a  husband  who  would  henceforth  be  dearer  to  her 
than  ever. 

Valerian,  habited  in  the  white  garment  of  the 
neophytes:}:  which  he  had  just  assumed, §  reached  the 

*  Unus  Dominus,  una  fides,  unum  baptisma,  unus  Deus,  et 
Pater  omnium,  qui  super  omnia,  et  in  omnibus  nobis  est.  Acta 
T#.  CcEcilice. 

f  Cumque  hoc  infra  se  legisset,  dicit  ei  senior  :  Credis  ita 
esse,  an  adhuc  dubitas  ?  Tunc  Valerianus  voce  magna  clainavit 
dicens  :  Non  est  aliud,  quod  verius  possit  credi  sub  coelo.  Ibid. 

t  It  should  not  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Valerian  wore  his 
white  dress  through  the  streets  of  Rome.  Garments  of  this 
color  were  not  unusual  in  a  city,  peopled  by  men  of  every  nation, 
gome  of  whom  continually  wore  white. 

§  Veniens  igitur  Valerianus  indutus  candidis  vestimentis.  Ibid. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  71 

door  of  the  chamber,  and  glancing  respectfully  around 
the  room,  beheld  Cecilia  prostrate  in  prayer,  and, 
by  her  side,  the  Angel  of  the  Lord,  his  face  resplen- 
dent as  lightning,  his  wings  brilliant  with  the  most 
gorgeous  colors.  The  blessed  spirit  held  in  his  hand, 
two  crowns  interwoven  with  roses  and  lilies,*  one  of 
which  he  placed  upon  the  head  of  Cecilia,  and  the 
other  upon  that  of  Valerian,  whilst  with  the  musical 
accents  of  heaven,  he  said.  kl  Merit  to  preserve  these 
crowns,  by  the  purity  of  your  hearts,  and  the  sanctity 
of  your  bodies.  I  bring  them  fresh  from  the  garden 
of  Heaven.  These  flowers  will  never  fade,  nor  lose 
their  celestial  fragrance ;  but  no  one  can  see  them, 
who  has  not  endeared  himself  to  Heaven,  as  you 
have  done,  by  virginal  purity.  And  now,  Valerian, 
as  a  reward  for  thy  acquiescence  in  the  chaste  desires 
of  Cecilia,  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  has  sent  me  to  thee, 
to  receive  any  request  thou  dost  wish  to  make  him."f 
The  young  man,  overcome  with  gratitude,  threw 
himself  at  the  feet  of  the  divine  messenger,  and  thus 
expressed  his  desires :  "  Nothing  in  life  is  more 
precious  to  me  than  the  affection  of  my  brother,  and 
now  that  I   am  rescued  from   peril,  it  would  be  a 

*  Cseciliam  intra  cubiculum  orantem  invenit,  et  stantem 
juxta  earn  Angelum  Domini  pennis  fulgentibus  alas  habentem, 
et  flameo  as'pectu  radientem,  duas  coronas  habentem  in  manibns 
coruscantes  rosis,  et  liliis  albescentes.     Acta  S.  Ccecili(e. 

f  Istas  coronas  immaculato  corde,  et  mundo  corpore  custo- 
dite,  quia  do  paradiso  Dei  eas  ad  vos  attuli,  et  hoc  vobis  signum 
erit,  numquam  marcidum  aspectus  sui  adhibent  floreni,  nunquani 
sni  minunt  snavitatem  odoris,  ncc  ab  alio  videri  poteruunt,  nisi 
ab  eis  quibus  ita  castitas  placuerit  sicut  vobis  probata  est  pla- 
cuisse.  Et  quia  tu,  Valeriane,  consensisti  consilio  castitatis, 
misit  me  Christus  Filius  Dei  ad  te,  ut  quam  volueris,  petitionee 
insinues      Ibid. 


72  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

bitter  trial  to  leave  this  beloved  brother  exposed  to 
danger.  I  will,  therefore,  reduce  m}r  requests  to  one ; 
I  beseech  Christ  to  deliver  my  brother,  Tiburtius,  as 
he  has  delivered  me,  and  to  perfect  us  both  in  the 
confession  of  His  name."*  The  angel,  turning 
towards  Valerian,  his  face  radiant  with  that  heavenly 
joy  which  the  celestial  spirits  experience  when  a 
sinner  is  converted  to  God,  replied,  "  Since  thou 
hast  asked  a  favor  which  Christ  is  much  more  eager 
to  grant,  than  thou  to  desire  it,  thou  shalt  gain  the 
heart  of  thy  brother  as  Cecilia  has  won  thine,  and 
both  shall  receive  the  palm  of  martyrdom."! 

As  he  concluded  these  words,  the  angel  ascended 
to  heaven,  leaving  Cecilia  and  her  husband  trans- 
ported with  happiness.  Cecilia  glorified  the  Master 
of  hearts,  who  had  so  brilliantly  displayed  the  riches 
of  His  mercy.  She  trembled  with  joy  in  seeing  that 
Valerian's  crown  was,  like  her  own,  intertwined  with 
roses  and  lilies,  as  a  proof  that  he  also  would  receive 
the  honor  of  martyrdom.  Tiburtius  was  to  share 
the  palm  with  his  brother,  but  the  happy  prediction 
had  not  been  extended  to  her.  She  was  destined 
then  to  survive  the  brothers,  and  assist  them  in  their 
combat ;  beyond  this  the  decrees  of  heaven  had  not 

*  Nihil  mihi  in  ista  vita  dulcius  extitit,  quam  unions  mei  fra- 
tris  affectus,  et  inipinm  mihi  est,  ut  me  liberato,  germanum 
menm  in  pericnlo  perditionis  aspiciam  ;  hoc  solum  omnibus  pe- 
titionibus  meis  antepono,  et  deprecor,  ut  fratrem  meum  Tibur- 
tium,  sicut  me,  liberare  dignetur,  et  faciat  nos  ambos  in  sui 
nominis  confessione  perfectos.  Acta  S.  Cwcilice. 

f  Audiens  haec  angelus  laetissimo  vultu  dixit  adeum:  Quoniam 
hoc  petisti,  quod  melius  quam  te  Christum  implere  delectat, 
sicut  te  per  famulam  suam  CaEcilium  lucratus  est  Christus  ;  ita 
per  te  quoque  tuum  lucrabitur  fratrem,  et  cum  eodem  ad  mar- 
tyrii  palmam  pervenies.  Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  73 

been  revealed.  Valerian  and  Cecilia  spent  the  ensu- 
ing hours  in  pious  conversation,  encouraging  each 
other  to  merit  the  crowns  which  the  Angel  had  placed 
upon  their  brows.  The  neophyte,  filled  with  the 
divine  love  which  participation  in  the  sacred  mys- 
teries had  kindled  in  his  heart,  spoke  with  the  fer- 
vor of  a  recent  convert ;  Cecilia,  initiated  from  her 
infancy  in  the  doctrine  of  salvation,  expressed  her- 
self with  the  experience  and  authority  of  a  tried 
Christian.  In  the  midst  of  this  holy  conversation, 
Tiburtius,  impatient  to  see  his  brother,  entered,  and 
interrupted  a  colloquy  worthy  of  angels.  Saluting 
Cecilia,  the  wife  of  his  beloved  brother,  he  respect- 
fully approached  and  imprinted  upon  her  forehead 
a  fraternal  kiss;*  but  wrhat  was  his  surprise  in  per- 
ceiving the  most  delightful  perfume  issuing  from 
her  hair.  "  Cecilia  I"  cried  he,  "  whence  comes  this 
delicious  odor  of  roses  and  lilies,  at  this  season  of  the 
year?  Were  I  to  hold  in  my  hand  a  boquet  of  the 
most  fragrant  flowers,  their  perfume  would  not  equal 
that  which  I  now  inhale.  It  is  so  marvellous  that 
it  seems  to  renew  my  whole  being."*!*  "  It  is  I, 
O   Tibertius,"   replied  Valerian, J   "  who  have   ob- 

*  Illis  epulantibus  in  Christo,  atque  in  sedificatione  sancta 
sermocinantibns,  Tiburtius  Valerianifrateradvenit,  et  ingressus 
est  quasi  ad  cognatam  suam,  osculatus  est  caput  sancta?  Caeciliae, 
et  ait,  etc.  Acta  S.  Cvecilice, 

f  Miror  hoc  tempore  roseus  hie  odor  et  liliorum  unde  respiret ; 
nam  si  tenerem  ipsas  rosas,  aut  ipsa  lilia  in  manibus  meis,  nee 
sic  potuernnt  odoramenta  mihi  tantae  suavitatis  intundere  ;  con- 
fiteor  vobis,  ita  sum  refectus,  ut  putem  me  totum  subito  reno- 
vatum.     Iibd. 

t  It  is  almost  useless  to  observe  that  Valerian,  under  this 
figurative   language,    referred  to   the   mystery  of  the  Blessed 

7 


74  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

tained  for  thee  the  favor  of  enjoying  this  sweet  odor, 
and  if  thou  wilt  only  believe,  thou  wilt  also  see  the 
flowers  whence  it  comes.  Thou  wilt  then  know  Him 
whose  blood  is  crimson  as  roses,  whose  flesh  is  white 
as  lilies.  Cecilia  and  I  wear  crowns  which  thy  eyes 
cannot  yet  behold.  The  flowers  of  which  they  are 
composed,  are  brilliant  as  purple,  and  spotless  as 
snow."*  "  Is  this  all  a  dream,  Valerian,  or  art  thou 
speaking  the  truth  ?"  cried  Tiburtius.  "  Until  now," 
replied  Valerian,  "  our  whole  life  has  been  a  dream. 
At  last  we  have  discovered  the  truth,  and  there  is 
no  deceit  in  us ;  the  gods  we  adored  are  but  devils." 
11  How  dost  thou  know  this?"  asked  Tiburtius. 
Valerian  answered  :  "  The  Angel  of  God  instructed 
me,  and  thou  canst  also  see  this  blessed  spirit  if  thou 
wilt  consent  to  be  purified  from  the  stain  of  idolatry." 
11  How  long,"  demanded  Tiburtius,  "  must  I  wait  for 
this  purification  which  will  render  me  worthy  of 
beholding  the  Angel  of  God?"  "A  very  short 
time,"  replied  Valerian;  "only  swear  to  me  that 
thou  dost  renounce  the  idols  and  acknowledge  there 
.  is  one  only  God,  who  dwells  in  heaven."  "  I  cannot 
understand,"  cried  Tiburtius,  "  why  thou  dost  exact 
of  me  this  promise." 

Eucharist,  which  was  concealed  from  the  Pagans,  and  revealed 
to  the  Catechumens  only  a  few  days  before  their  baptism. 

*  Odorem  quidem  meruisti,  me  interpellate,  suscipere, 
modo  te  credente  promereberis  etiam  ipso  roseo  aspectu  gaudere, 
et  intelligere  cujus  in  rosis  sanguis  florescit,  et  in  liliis  cujus 
corpus  albescit ;  coronas  enim  habemus,  quas  tui  oculi  videre 
non  prevalent,  floreo  rubore,  et  niveo  candore  vernantes. 
Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


LIFE  OF  SAIKT  CECILIA.  75 

CHAPTER  VIII 

INTERVIEW    OP    TIBURTIUS   WITH    ST.    CECILIA    AND    VALERIAN.      HIS 
CONVERSION   AND   BAPTISM. 

Cecilia  had  maintained  perfect  silence  during  the 
dialogue  between  the  brothers  :  the  ardent  zeal  of 
Valerian  had  left  her  no  time  to  speak,  and  besides,  it 
was  but  proper  that  he  should  be  the  first  to  address 
his  brother.  But  the  virgin,  who  had  been  nourished 
from  her  childhood  in  the  evangelical  doctrine, 
understood  much  better  than  her  husband,  how  to 
convert  a  Gentile  from  the  errors  of  idolatry.  Eecall- 
ing  the  arguments  employed  against  idols,  by  the 
ancient  prophets,  the  Christian  apologists,  and  the 
martyrs,  Cecilia  thus  spoke  : 

M  I  am  astonished,  Tiburtius,  that  thou  hast  not 
already  understood  that  statues  of  clay,  wood,  stone, 
brass,  or  any  other  metal,  cannot  be  gods.  How  can 
any  one  esteem  as  gods,  vain  idols,  upon  which 
spiders  spin  their  webs,  and  birds  build  their  nests?* 
Statues,  composed  of  materials  drawn  from  the  earth 
by  the  hand  of  malefactors,  condemned  to  the  mines. 
Tell  me,  Tiburtius,  is  there  any  difference  between 
a  corpse  and  an  idol  ?     A  corpse  has  all  its  members, 

*  The  Pagans  surrounded  the  heads  of  their  divinities  with 
a  nimbus  to  protect  them  from  being  injured  by  the  weather,  or 
by  the  birds  of  which  Cecilia  speaks.  The  nimbus,  found  in 
Egypt  and  among  the  Etruscans,  at  a  later  period,  was  considered 
a  mark  of  veneration  to  the  statue  which  it  adorned  ;  but  Tibul- 
lus  and  Horace  speak  of  the  nimbus  in  its  original  signification. 
Cecilia's  invective  is  an  additional  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  our 
acts. 


76  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

yet  it  possesses  neither  breath,  voice,  nor  feeling. 
An  idol  also  has  all  its  members,  but  those  members 
are  incapable  of  action,  and,  consequently,  far  inferior 
to  those  of  a  dead  man.  At  least,  during  his  life, 
the  eyes,  ears,  mouth,  nose,  feet,  and  hands  of  the 
man,  fulfilled  their  office;  but  the  idol  began  with 
death,  and  remained  dead  ;  it  never  lived,  nor  even 
had  the  power  to  live.'1* 

Tiburtius,  suddenly  impressed  with  the  emptiness 
of  the  idols  before  which  he  had  offered  incense,  ex- 
claimed :  "  Yes,  it  is  so,  and  he  who  does  not  under- 
stand it,  is  upon  a  level  with  the  brutes.f"  Cecilia, 
overcome  with  joy  at  this  reply,  pressed  to  her  heart 
the  pagan  who  already  commenced  to  see  the  light. 
11 1  recognize  thee  as  my  brother  !"  she  exclaimed. 
11  The  love  of  Christ  has  made  Valerian  my  husband ; 
the  contempt  thou  dost  profess  for  idols,  makes  me 
truly  thy  sister.  The  moment  has  arrived  when  thou 
wilt  believe  ;  go  then,  with  thy  brother,  and  receive 
the  sacrament  of  regeneration.  Thou  shalt  then  see 
the  angel,  and  obtain  forgiveness  for  all  thy  sins."J 

Tiburtius  then  turned  to  Valerian  "who  is  the 
man  to  whom  thou  wilt  conduct  me?"  "  A  great 
personage,"  replied  Valerian  ;  "  he  is  called  Urban ; 

*  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

\  Tunc  cum  omni  alacritate  Tiburtius  ait :  Qui  ita  non  credit 
pecus  est.  Ibid, 

X  Hsec  dicente  Tiburtio,  Sancta  Coecilia  osculato  est  pectus 
ejus,  et  dixit:  hodie  ineum  te  fateor  vere  esse  cognatum  ;  sicut 
enim  mihi  amor  Domini  fratrem  tuum  conjugem  fecit,  ita  te 
mihi  cognatum  contemptus  faciet  idolorum  :  unde  quia  paratus 
es  ad  credendum,  vade  cum  fratre  tuo  ut  purificationem  accipias, 
per  duam  inerearis  angelicos  vuitus  aspicere,  et  omnium  tuarum 
veniam  invenire  culparum.     Ibid, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  77 

he  is  a  venerable  old  man,  with  white  hair,  an  angelic 
countenance,  and  whose  conversation  is  full  of  truth 
and  wisdom."  "  Can  it  be,"  said  Tiburtius,  "the 
Urban  whom  the  Christians  call  their  Pope?  I  have 
heard  that  he  has  already  been  twice  condemned, 
and  that  he  is  concealed  in  some  subterranean  vaults, 
I  know  not  where.  If  he  be  discovered,  he  will  be 
cast  to  the  flames,  and  if  we  are  found  with  him,  we 
will  share  his  fate.  Thus  in  recompense  for  seeking 
a  divinity  concealed  in  Heaven,  we  will  suffer  upon 
earth  cruel  torments."* 

Although  Tiburtius  had  learned  to  despise  the  idols, 
he  did  not  yet  contemn  the  sufferings  of  this  world. 
Cecilia  came  to  his  assistance.  "If  this  life  were 
the  only  one,"  said  she,  "  if  there  were  no  other,  we 
would  be  reasonable  in  fearing  to  lose  it;  but  if  there 
be  another  life  which  will  never  end,  should  we  dread 
losing  that  which  is  transitory,  when  at  the  price  of 
this  sacrifice,  we  shall  win  that  which  will  last 
forever?" 

Such  language  was  very  novel  to  a  young  man 
educated  in  the  Eoman  society  of  the  III.  century,  a 

*  Tunc  dicit  fratri  suo  Tiburtius  :  Obsecro,  frater,  ut  dicas 
mihi  ad  quern  me  ducturus  es  ?  Respondit  Valerianus  :  Ad  mag- 
num virum,  Urbanum  nomine,  in  quo  est  aspectus  angelicus,  et 
veneranda  canities,  sermo  verus,  et  sapientia  conditus.  Dicit  ei 
Tiburtius  :  Tu  ilium  Urbanum  dicis,  quern  Papam  suum  Chris- 
tiani  nominant  ?  Hunc  ego  audivi  jam  secundo  damnatum,  et 
iteruin  pro  ipsa  re  qua  damnatus  est  latebram  sui  proecavere 
fovendo  ;  iste  si  inventus  fuerit,  sine  dubio  atrocibus  dabitur 
flammis,  et,  ut  dicisolet,  centenas  exolvet,  et  nos  simul  cremabi- 
mur,  si  ad  ilium  fuerimus  inventi,  et  dum  qu  86  rim  us  divinitatem 
in  coelis  latentem,  incurrimus  furorem  exurentem  in  terris. 
Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


78  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

society,  remarkable  alike  for  the  most  humiliating 
superstitious,  a  corruption  of  morals  worthy  of 
Heliogabalus,  and  all  the  aberrations  of  sceptical 
philosophy  ;  he  therefore  replied  to  the  young  virgin. 
"  I  have  never  heard  such  a  doctrine;  can  there  be 
another  life  after  this!"  "But,"  answered  Cecilia, 
"  is  the  life  we  possess  in  this  world,  worthy  the 
name?  After  having  been  the  sport  of  every  suf- 
fering, both  of  soul  and  body,  it  terminates  in  death 
which  puts  an  end  to  its  pleasures,  and  its  pains. 
When  it  ceases,  we  can  scarcely  believe  it  has  ever 
existed ;  for  that  which  is  gone  forever,  is  as  nothing. 
As  to  the  second  life  which  succeeds  the  first,  it  has 
endless  joys  for  the  just,  eternal  torments  for  the 
wicked."  " But  who  has  lived  this  life?"  asked  Ti- 
burtius,  "  who  has  returned  to  tell  us  what  passes 
there?  Upon  whose  testimony  can  we  believe  it?" 
Then  Cecilia,  rising  with  the  majesty  of  an  Apostle, 
uttered  these  'forcible  words  :*  "  The  Creator  of  hea- 
ven and  earth  and  of  all  they  contain,  engendered  a 
Son  out  of  His  own  substance,  before  all  beings,  and 
by  His  divine  virtue  produced  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the 
Son,  that  through  Him,  He  might  create  all  things  ; 
the  Holy  Ghost,  that  He  might  vivify  them.  All  that 
exists,  the  Son  of  God,  engendered  by  the  Father,  has 
created ;  all  that  is  created,  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  pro- 
ceeds from  the  Father, f  has  animated.";]: 

*  Tunc  beata  Caecilia  erigens  se  stetit,  et  cum  magna  con- 
stantia  dixit.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

t  St.  Cecilia  speaks  twice  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  proceeding 
from  the  Father,  without  saying  that  He  also  proceeds  from  the 
Son.  Such  was  the  language  of  the  primitive  Church,  which 
rarely  insisted  upon  the   procession  of  the    Holy  Ghost  with 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  79 

"But  how  is  this,  Cecilia P  cried  Tiburtius;  "a 
moment  ago  thou  did'st  say  we  should  believe  in  one 
only  God,  who  is  in  heaven,  and  now  thou  speakest 
of  three  Gods."  Cecilia  replied  :  "  There  is  but  one 
God  in  His  majesty,  and  if  thou  wouldst  understand 
how  He  exists  in  the  Holy  Trinity,  listen  to  this  com- 
parison. A  man  possesses  wisdom ;  by  wisdom  we 
mean  genius,  memory,  and  understanding;  genius, 
which  discerns  truths ;  memory,  which  retains  them ; 
and  understanding,  which  examines  them.  Do  we 
then  believe  the  same  man  possesses  three  different 
kinds  of  wisdom,  or  do  we  not  rather  say  that  he 
exercises  his  wisdom  by  three  separate  faculties? 
How  then  can  we  hesitate  to  acknowledge  a  ma- 
jestic Trinity  in  the  essential  unity  of  the  omnipotent 
God?"* 

Tiburtius,  dazzled  by  the  brilliancy  of  so  august  a 
mystery,  exclaimed :  "  O,  Cecilia !  a  human  tongue 
could  not  give  such  enlightened  explanations ;  the 
angel  of  God  speaks  by  thy  mouth  ["     Such  was  the 

respect  to  the  Son.  This  is  not  the  proper  place  to  explain  the 
reasons  which  rendered  the  confessions  of  the  Church  less  ex- 
plicit, upon  this  dogma,  during  the  early  ages.  These  words 
of  the  Saint,  are  an  additional  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  our 
history. 

}  Cceli,  terrseque,  maris,  et  omnium  volucrum,  repentium, 
pecudumque  creator  ex  se  ipso  antequam  ista  omnia  faceret, 
genuit  Filium,  et  protulit  ex  virtute  sua  Spiritum  sanctum  ; 
Filium  ut  crearet  omnia  ;  Spiritum,  ut  vivificaret  universa  ;  om- 
nia autem  quae  sunt,  Filius  ex  Patrie  genitus  condidit ;  universa 
autem  quaxondita  sunt,  ex  Patrie  procedens  Spiritus  sanctus 
animavit.     Acta  S.  C&cilim. 

*  Unus  est  Deus  in  maj estate  aua,  quern  ita  in  sancta  Tri- 
nitate  dividimus,  ut  in  uno  hoinine  dicimus  esse  sapientiam, 
quam  sapientiam  dicimus  habere  ingenium,  memoriam  et  intel- 


80  LIFE   OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

lively  gratitude  with  which  this  young  man  wel- 
comed the  divine  light  that  was  beginning  to  dawn 
upon  his  soul.  He  did  not  venture  again  to  address 
the  virgin,  the  interpreter  of  heaven ;  but  turning 
towards  his  brother  Valerian,  he  said :  "I  willingly 
confess,  the  mystery  of  one  only  God  no  longer  arrests 
me ;  I  desire  but  one  thing,  to  hear  the  continuation 
of  this  discourse  which  will  satisfy  all  my  doubts." 
11  Thou  should'st  apply  to  me,  Tiburtius,"  said  Cecilia, 
"  thy  brother,  newly  clothed  in  his  baptismal  robe,  is 
unable  to  answer  all  thy  questions.  But  I  have  been 
instructed  from  my  cradle  in  the  wisdom  of  Christ ; 
thou  wilt  find  me  ready  to*  solve  all  the  difficulties 
thou  may'st  wish  to  propose."*  "  Well,"  answered 
Tiburtius,  "  I  wish  to  know  who  has  told  you  of  that 
other  life  of  which  you  both  speak?" 

The  virgin,  resuming  her  discourse  with  divine 
enthusiasm,  continued :  "  The  Father  sent  His  only 
Son  from  heaven  to  earth  to  be  conceived  in  the 
womb  of  a  virgin.  This  divine  Son,  from  the  sum- 
mit of  a  mountain,  proclaimed  these  words  ;  '  Come 
ye  all  to  me."  At  once,  people  of  every  age  and 
condition  hastened  to  Him.     He  then  said  to  them  ; 

lectum  :  nam  ingenio  adinveninius  quodnos  didicimus  :  memoria 
tenemus  quod  docemur  ;  intellectu  advertimus  quicquid  vel 
videre  nobis  contigerit,  vel  audire  ;  quid  modo  faciemus  ?  Num- 
quid  non  ista  tria  una  sapientia  in  homine  possidet?  Si  ergo 
homo  in  una  sapientia  trium  possidet  numerum,  quomodo  non 
Deus  omnipotens  in  una  Deitate  suae  Trinitatis  obtinet  majes- 
tatem  ?     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

*  De  his  mecum  loquere,  quia  tyrocinii  tempus  fratrem  ttium 
tibi  prohibet  dare  responsum  :  me  antem,  quam  ab  ipsis  incuna- 
bulis  Christi  sapientia  docuit,  ad  quameumque  causam  quaerere 
volueris,  imparatam  habere  non  poteris.     Ibid. 


LIFE  GF  SAINT  CECILIA.  81 

1  Do  penance  for  the  sins  of  which  you  have  been 
guilty  ;  for  the  kingdom  of  God  which  will  put  an 
end  to  the  kingdom  of  men  is  at  hand.  God  will 
admit  into  this  kingdom  those  who  have  believed, 
and  will  confer  the  highest  honors  upon  those  who 
have  been  most  holy.  The  wicked  shall  be  punished 
with  eternal  torments ;  they  shall  be  devoured  by 
fire,  but  shall  never  be  consumed.  The  just  shall 
be  surrounded  with  an  eternal  splendor  of  glory,  and 
endless  delights  shall  be  their  portion.  Seek  no 
longer,  children  of  men,  the  fleeting  joys  of  this 
life;  but  ensure  for  yourselves  the  eternal  felicity  of 
the  life  to  come.  The  former  is  short,  the  latter  will 
last  forever.'  The  nations  did  not  at  first  believe  in 
this  oracle  ;  they  asked:  '  Who  has  entered  into  this 
life  and  returned  to  certify  to  us  the  truth  of  what 
thou  sayest  ?'  The  Son  of  God  replied :  *  If  I  raise 
from  the  dead,  those  whom  you  yourselves  have 
buried,  will  you  still  refuse  to  believe  the  truth?  If 
you  will  not  believe  my  words,  at  least  believe  my 
miracles.'*     To  prove  the  truth  of  His  words,  He, 

*  It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  St.  Cecilia,  in  her  oratorical  dis- 
course, announces  evangelical  facts  in  a  general  way,  not  literally 
conformable  to  the  New  Testament.  Our  Saviour  did  not  address 
the  whole  human  race,  but  only  the  Jewish  nation.  We  must 
acknowledge,  however,  that  in  speaking  to  the  Jews,  He  came 
for  all,  and  intended  that  His  law  should  be  preached  to  all.  If 
Cecilia  had  spoken  in  a  less  general  manner,  Tiburtius  would 
not  have  understood  the  explanation  she  gave  him.  Thus  the 
Jews,  as  a  nation,  did  not  make  to  our  Saviour  the  objection  of 
which  Cecilia  speaks,  but  the  Gentiles,  to  whom  the  Apostles 
preached,  frequently  alleged  it.  It  is  likewise  true  that  at  the 
time  of  the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  materialism  had  made  con- 
siderable progress  among  the  Jews.  The  Sadducees,  in  particu- 
lar, professed  the  grossest  sensualism,  and  the  number  of  carnal 
Jews  far  exceeded  that  of  the  spiritual. 


82  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

in  presence  of  the  people,  raised  to  life  persons  who 
had  been  buried  three  or  four  days,  and  whose  bodies 
had  already  become  putrified.  He  walked  upon  the 
sea,  commanded  the  wind,  stilled  tempests.  He  re- 
stored sight  to  the  blind,  speech  to  the  dumb,  hear- 
ing to  the  deaf,  the  use  of  their  limbs  to  the  lame  and 
paralytic;  he  put  the  devils  to  flight,  and  delivered 
the  possessed. 

"The  impious  were  irritated  at  these  miracles, 
because  the  people  left  them  to  attach  themselves  to 
Him,  and  threw  their  garments  under  His  feet,  ex- 
claiming: '  Blessed  is  He  who  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.*  Men,  called  Pharisees,  jealous  of  his 
success,  betrayed  Him  to  the  governor,  Pilate,  say- 
ing that  He  was  a  magician  and  a  man  guilty  of 
every  crime.  They  excited  a  tumultuous  sedition, 
in  the  midst  of  which  they  crucified  Him.  Knowing 
that  His  death  would  effect  the  salvation  of  the 
world,  He  permitted  Himself  to  be  taken,  insulted, 
scourged,  and  put  to  death.  He  knew  that  His 
passion  alone  could  chain  the  devil,  and  confine  the 
"unclean  spirits  in  their  place  of  punishment.  He, 
therefore,  who  had  never  committed  sin,  was  loaded 
with  chains,  in  order  that  the  human  race  might  be 
delivered  from  the  bonds  of  sin.  He  who  is  forever 
blessed  was  cursed,  that  we  might  be  freed  from 
malediction.  He  suffered  Himself  to  be  the  sport  of 
the  wicked,  to  snatch  us  from  the  illusions  of  the 
devil  whose  playthings  we  were.  lie  was  crowned 
with  a  crown  of  thorns,  to  deliver  us  from  the  capi- 
tal punishment  which  the  thorns  of  our  sins  had 
merited.  He  tasted  the  gall  presented  Him,  in  older 


LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  83 

to  expiate  the  sensuality  of  our  first  parents,  by 
which  sin  had  entered  into  the  world.  In  His  thirst 
they  gave  Him  vinegar  to  drink,  and  He  willingly 
accepted  it,  for  it  was  His  wish  to  drain  the  chalice 
we  had  merited.  He  was  stripped  of  His  garments, 
that  He  might  cover  with  a  robe  of  dazzling 
whiteness,  the  nudity  produced  in  our  first  parents 
by  the  serpent's  perfidy.  He  was  nailed  to  the 
tree  of  the  Cross  to  take  away  the  prevarication 
which  had  come  by  a  tree.  He  permitted  death  to 
approach  Him,  that  it  might  be  overthrown  in  the 
struggle  ;  and  that,  as  it  had  reigned  by  the  serpent, 
it  might  become  with  the  serpent,  the  captive  of 
Christ.  Finally,  when  the  elements  contemplated 
their  Creator,  elevated  upon  the  cross,  they  were 
seized  with  fear ;  the  earth  quaked,  the  rocks  were 
rent,  the  sun  was  obscured,  and  darkness  covered  the 
whole  world.  A  bloody  cloud  intercepted  the  pale 
rays  of  the  moon,  and  the  stars  disappeared  from  the 
heavens.  The  graves  were  opened,  and  many  bodies 
of  the  saints  that  had  slept,  arose,  to  attest  that  the 
Saviour  had  descended  into  hell,  that  He  had  snatched 
the  devil's  sceptre  from  his  hands,  and  that  in  dying 
he  had  conquered  death,  which  henceforth  should  be 
chained  under  the  feet  of  those  who  should  believe 
in  Him. 

"Now  thou  seest  why  we  rejoice  when  we  are  ill- 
treated  for  His  sake,  and  why  we  glory  in  persecu- 
tion. It  should  be  thus,  since  we  know  that  this 
perishable  and  miserable  life  will  be  followed  by 
the  eternal  life,  which  the  Son  of  God  promised  to 
His  Apostles,  after  His  resurrection,  before  ascend 


84  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

ing  to  heaven.  The  testimony  of  three  persons  is 
sufficient  to  satisfy  a  wise  man,  but  Christ,  after  His 
resurrection,  appeared  not  only  to  His  twelve  apos- 
tles, but  to  more  than  five  hundred  persons,  that  there 
might  not  be  the  slightest  pretext  for  doubting  so 
astonishing  a  prodigy.  His  disciples  who  were  sent 
by  Him  to  preach  these  marvels  throughout  the 
entire  world,  supported  their  doctrine  by  the  most 
evident  miracles.  In  his  name,  they  cured  all  kinds 
of  diseases,  cast  out  devils,  and  raised  the  dead  to 
life.  I  think,  Tiburtius,  I  have  now  fully  answered 
thy  questions ;  reflect  if  it  be  not  well  to  contemn 
the  present  life,  and  seek  with  ardor  and  courage 
that  which  will  follow.  He  who  believes  in  the  Son 
of  God,  and  observes  His  commandments,  will  not 
die  when  his  perishable  body  is  placed  in  the  tomb; 
he  will  be  received  by  the  holy  angels,  and  conducted 
to  Paradise.  But  death  and  hell  combine  to  distract 
man  with  a  thousand  useless  cares,  and  to  engage 
his  thoughts  with  a  multitude  of  imaginary  wants. 
Sometimes  he  is  intimidated  by  an  approaching  mis- 
fortune ;  at  others,  seized  with  a  desire  of  wealth ; 
again,  he  is  fascinated  with  sensual  beauty,  or  lured 
by  intemperance ;  in  fine,  by  inducing  man  to  aban- 
don himself  to  the  free  gratification  of  his  carnal 
appetite,  death  successfully  produces  such  a  total 
forgetfulness  of  the  future,  that  his  soul,  when  sepa- 
rated from  the  body,  is  found  entirely  void  of  merit, 
loaded  only  with  the  overpowering  weight  of  sin. 
I  feel,  Tiburtius,  that  I  have  merely  touched  upon  a 
few  points  of  this  grand  subject;  if  thou  wishest  me 
to  continue,  I  am  at  thy  service.*"     But  the  young 

*  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  85 

Pagan  had  understood  every  thing,  and  the  rapid 
discourse  of  Cecilia  had  completely  changed  his  soul. 
His  tears  flowed  abundantly,  and  his  heart  was  rent 
with  sighs.  His  soul  had  not  been  hardened  by  the 
vices  which  spring  from  the  love  of  pleasure  or  of 
wealth.  "If  ever,"  he  cried,  throwing  himself  at 
Cecilia's  feet,  "  my  heart  or  my  thoughts  cling  to 
this  life,  I  consent  not  to  enjoy  that  which  will  fol- 
low. Let  the  giddy  and  thoughtless  revel  if  they 
will,  in  the  senseless  pleasures  of  the  present ;  until 
now  I  have  lived  without  an  object :  it  shall  not  be 
so  henceforth."*  After  having  made  this  promise  to 
the  virgin,  Tiburtius  turned  to  Valerian.  "  My  dear 
brother,"  he  exclaimed,  "  take  pity  on  me ;  delay  no 
longer ;  every  detention  alarms  me,  and  I  can  no 
longer  support  the  weight  which  overpowers  me.  I 
beseech  thee  to  conduct  me  immediately  to  the  man 
of  God,  that  he  may  purify  me,  and  render  me  a  par- 
ticipant of  that  life,  the  desire  of  which  already  con- 
sumes my  heart."f  But  two  days  had  elapsed  since 
the  marriage  of  Cecilia,  when  Tiburtius  received  the 
grace  of  baptism,  and  thus,  Christian  virginity  reaped 
its  glorious  fruit.  "  The  faithful  wife,"  as  St.  Paul 
had  said,  ::sancxiiied  the  unbelieving  husband,";]:  who 
by  the  merit  of  his  faith,   obtained  the  conversion 

*  Si  de  ista  vita  ulterius,  vel  mente  tractavero,  vel  cogitavero, 
vel  cogitatione  qusesierc,  in  ilia  vita  non  inveniar  ;  habeant 
stulti  lucrum  labentis  temporis,  ego  qui  usque  hodie  sine  causa 
vixi,  jam  non  sit  sine  causa  quod  vivo.  Acta  S.  Ccecilh*. 

f  Miserere  mei,  f rater  charissime,  et  rumpe  moras,  quarum 
nexus  patior  ;  dilationes  timeo,  pondus  ferre  non  possum  :  ob- 
hecro  te,  perdue  me  ad  hominem  Dei,  ut  me  purificans  ilius 
vitae  participem  faciat.     Ibid.  t  Cor.  vii.  14. 

8 


86  LIFE   OF   SAIXT  CECILIA. 

of  his  brother.  Valerian  and  Tiburtius  took  leave 
of  Cecilia,  whose  presence  in  this  once  Pagan  house, 
had  been  the  pledge  of  so  many  favors,  and  hastily 
set  out  in  search  of  Urban.  With  what  joy  the 
angels  must  have  gazed  upon  these  two  brothers, 
wending  their  steps  toward  the  Appian  Way,  one 
clothed  in  his  baptismal  robe,  the  other  panting  like 
a  hart  for  the  waters  of  the  fountain.* 

When  they  reached  the  Pontiff,  they  related  all 
that  had  occurred  since  the  neophyte's  return  to  his 
bride,  and  the  holy  old  man  rendered  thanks  to  God 
for  having  reserved  such  glorious  triumphs  for  his  faith- 
ful servant.  He  received  Tiburtius  with  joy,  and  the 
young  man  soon  descended  into  the  pool  of  salvation, 
whence  he  returned,  purified,  relieved  of  his  burden, 
breathing  with  delight  the  pure  air  of  the  new  life 
which  he  had  so  ardently  longed  to  embrace.  Vale- 
rian returned  to  Cecilia,  after  accomplishing  the  seven 
days,  during  which,  according  to  custom,  he  wore  the 
white  robes.  The  Pontiff  retained  Tiburtius  during 
these  seven  days,  and,  by  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  consecrated  him  a  soldier  of  Christ.  The. 
young  man  was  completely  changed ;  the  symbolical 
palms  and  crowns  which  he  had  seen  engraved  upon 
the  martyrs'  tombs,  excited  new  ardor  in  his  soul ; 
he  may,  perhaps,  have  had  some  presentiment  that 
the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  his  own  mortal 
remains,  and  those  of  Valerian,  would  be  buried  by 
Cecilia  under  the  funereal  arches  where  he  had  re- 
ceived the  mystery  of  his  regeneration.  In  awaiting 
this  glorious  consummation,  the  angels  of  God  fre- 
*  Ps.  xli.  1. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  87 

quently  visited  and  conversed  with  him.  If  he 
breathed  a  desire  to  heaven,  these  celestial  messen- 
gers hastened  to  obtain  it  for  him  whom  they  already 
considered  their  brother.* 

Cecilia  and  Valerian  admired  the  marvels  of  divine 
grace  in  the  heart  of  Tiburtius,  and  the  bonds  which 
united  the  three  friends  were  strengthened  each  day. 
The  influence  of  this  holy  house  was  sensibly  felt 
throughout  Borne,  and  the  Christians  rejoiced  in  the 
honor  reflected  upon  their  faith  by  the  noble  exam- 
ple of  virtue,  daily  given  by  this  patrician  family, 
which  esteemed  itself  so  happy  in  having  become  a 
part  of  the  family  of  Christ.  Cecilia,  however,  by 
the  influence  of  her  character,  and  the  masculine  elo- 
quence of  her  words,  seemed  to  be  the  presiding 
spirit.  She  was  no  longer  the  timid  virgin,  aban- 
doned by  her  parents  to  an  idolatrous  husband ; 
henceforth,  armed  for  every  kind  of  struggle,  ready 
for  every  combat,  and  shrinking  from  no  act  of  de- 
votedness,  she  was  one  of  the  most  solid  supports  of 
the  Church  of  Eome. 

Having  become  the  dispensatrix  of  a  large  fortune, 
she  was  enabled  to  satisfy  her  ardent  love  for  the 
poor  of  Christ.  She,  nevertheless,  without  detriment 
to  her  humility,  or  to  Christian  modesty,  continued  to 
wear  the  dress  and  ornaments  suitable  to  her  rank.f 

*  Tantam  deinceps  gratiam  consecutus  est  Domini,  ut  et 
Angelos  Domini  videret  quotidie,  et  omnium  quae  poposcisset  a 
Domino  protinus  eveniret  effectus.     Acta  sanctce  Ctvcilice. 

f  Several  portraits  may  be  seen  in  the  Catacombs,  of  female 
martyrs  richly  attired;  these  frescoes  date  back  to  the  third 
century.  Two  figures  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  in  the  Sala- 
rian  Way,  have  been  reproduced  by  Agincourt.   (Histoire  de 


88  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA, 

Superior  to  the  vanities  of  her  sex,  trampling  under 
foot  the  world  and  its  pomp,  sighing  day  and  night 
for  the  moment  when  her  celestial  Spouse  would 
deliver  her  from  this  body  of  death,  Cecilia  could  not 
be  ranked  among  the  Christian  women,  who,  slaves 
to  dress  and  fashion,  merited  the  invectives  of  Ter- 
tullian.  "  I  do  not  know,"  he  had  said  to  them,  "  if 
hands  accustomed  to  bracelets,  can  support  chains ; 
if  feet  adorned  with  anklets,  can  support  the  pressure 
of  manacles.  I  fear  that  heads  covered  with  a  net- 
work of  pearls  and  precious  stones,  will  scarcely  leave 
room  for  the  sword."*  In  fact,  Christian  women 
ought  never  to  lose  sight  of  the  moment  when  they 
might  be  summoned  to  confess  their  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Cecilia  ardently  sighed  for  it ;  she  longed  to 
divest  herself  of  the  world's  livery,  to  be  clothed 
with  a  nuptial  robe  purpled  with  her  blood.  In  the 
meantime,  she  continued  to  mortify  her  innocent 
body,  by  a  rough  hair  shirt  which  she  concealed 
under  her  rich,  luxurious  garments. 

l'Art  par  les  monuments.  Peinture.  Planche  viii  )  The  invec- 
tives of  Tertullian  in  his  work  De  cultu  fccminarum.,  likewise 
attests  the  custom  sanctioned  by  the  example  of  many  Christian 
ladies,  of  wearing  the  garments  used  before  their  baptism.  The 
bearing  of  this  remark  will  be  apparent  in  the  continuation  of 
our  history. 

*  Ceterum  nescio  an  manus  spatalio  circumdari  solita  in  duri- 
tiam  catenae  stupescere  sustineat.  Nescio  an  crus  periscelio 
laetatum  in  nervum  se  patiatur  arctari.  Timeo  cervicem,  ne 
margaritarum  et  smaragdorum  laqueis  occupata,  locum  spatae 
non  det.     De  cultu  fcemnarum.  Cap.  xiii. 


MPE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  89 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ALEXANDER  SEVERUS  LEAVES    ROME — VIOLENCE    EXERCISED  AGAINST 

THE       CHRISTIANS VALERIAN      AND      TIBURTIUS      ARE      SUMMONED 

BEFORE  THE  PREFECT  OF  ROME — INTERROGATORY    OF  TIBURTIUS. 

It  was  now  spring,  and,  according  to  custom,  the 
Eoman  army  was  about  to  commence  its  summer 
campaign.  Whether  the  war  undertaken  by  Alexan- 
der against  the  Persians  broke  out  this  year,*  or 
whether  his  arms  were  directed  against  other  enemies, 
certain  it  is  that  he  absented  himself  from  Borne  with 
so  much  solemnity,  that  the  medals  of  his  reign  have 
left  a  memorial  of  it  to  posterity.  The  Prefectf  of 
Eome  at  this  time,  was  Turcius  Almachius,  a  man 
well  known  by  the  hatred  he  bore  the  Christians.  As 
we  have  before  stated,  antipathy  against  the  new  reli- 
gion was  so  violently  fermenting  in  the  hearts  of  the 

*  We  are  rather  inclined  to  agree  with  Pagi  and  F.  Blanchini 
that  in  this  year,  230,  Alexander  was  engaged  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Persians  ;  however  this  may  be,  the  monuments  of 
the  epoch  prove  that  there  was  an  expedition  to  the  East,  and  a 
victorious  return.  Mezzabarba  refers  to  this  year  the  three 
following  medals  ;  the  first,  upon  which  the  prince  is  designated  : 
IMP.  CES.  ALEXAND.AUG,  presents  a  sun  rising 
tin  the  east.  The  two  others  represent — one,  Alexander,  holding 
a  laurel  branch  and  a  standard  ;  the  other,  the  victorious  Em- 
peror, surrounded  by  soldiers,  and  borne  on  a  triumphal  chariot. 
Ekkel  is  nol  so  positive  as  Mezzabarba,  regarding  the  precise 
dates  of  these  medals,  but  he  formally  admits  that  Alexander 
may  have  gone  to  the  East  in  230.  This  concession,  joined  to 
the  positive  assertion  of  the  authors  mentioned  above,  is  suffi- 
cient to  render  our  history  perfectly  clear. 

t  The  Prefect  of  Rome,  Prasfectus  Urbis,  exercised  a  purely 
civil  magistracy,  and  should  not  be  confounded  with  the  Prefect 
of  the   Praitorium. 

8* 


90  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

first  magistrates  of  the  empire,  that  they  could  scarce- 
ly support  the  tolerance,  imposed  upon  them  by  the 
personal  conduct  of  the  Emperor.  The  moment  was 
therefore  most  favorable  to  persecute  the  odious  sect, 
and  Alexander's  character  gave  little  reason  to  fear 
his  serious  displeasure.  The  ancient  edicts  were  still 
in  force,  and  the  prince  was  not  a  man  to  acknowl- 
edge in  favor  of  the  Christians,  a  patronage  rejected 
by  the  laws  of  the  empire.  Besides,  there  would  be 
sufficient  time  to  throw  the  blame  upon  the  Christ- 
ians themselves,  since  the  presence  and  progress  of 
these  enemies  of  the  human  race  were  naturally  cal- 
culated to  rouse  the  passions  of  the  people,  and  thus 
occasion  a  sedition  which  would  render  it  the  magis- 
trate's duty  to  punish  those,  who,  if  not  its  authors, 
were  at  least  the  eternal  pretext  for  disturbance. 

Almachius  first  directed  his  violence  against  the 
great  body  of  Christians  who  belonged  to  the  plebian 
order.  The  carnage  was  very  great,  the  more  so  as 
the  prefect  did  not  fear  their  opposition.  Not  satis- 
fied with  mangling  their  bodies  by  every  species  of 
torture,  Almachius  also  resolved  that  they  should  not 
be  interred.*  The  first  Christians  were  most  zealous 
in  burying  their  brother  martyrs,  and  many  among 
them  obtained  the  crown  of  martyrdom  in  accomplish- 
ing this  pious  duty. 

The  city  of  the  glorious  dead  already  extended  its 
vast  and  gloomy  ways  all  around  the  ramparts  of 
Eome,   of  which  it  formed  the  invisible  bulwark. 

*  Turcius  Almachius  Urbis  Prsefectus  Sanctos  Domini  fortiter 
laniabat,  et  inhumata  jubebat  eorum  corpora  derelinqui.  Acta 
SancUB  Cceciliaz, 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  91 

Nevertheless  its  avenues,  although  crossed  in  every 
direction,  were  not  yet  sufficiently  large  for  the 
numerous  soldiers  of  Christ  who  were  to  be  immo- 
lated in  the  terrible  persecutions  of  Maximinus,  De- 
cius,  and  Diocletian.  There  reposed  in  peace, *  that 
valorous  phalanx  of  soldiers  whose  blood  had  cemented 
the  edifice  of  the  church ;  but  the  tempest  roused  by 
Almachius  would  have  rendered  it  necessary  to  com- 
press still  more  the  already  crowded  ranks  of  this 
silent  dwelling,  had  not  Urban's  predecessor,  St.  Cal- 
listus,  foreseen  in  his  pastoral  zeal  this  necessity,  and 
excavated  that  vast  cemetery  of  the  Appian  Way,  to 
which  as  we  have  previously  stated,  his  name  is 
attached.f  The  Christians  who  devoted  themselves 
to  the  touching  and  perilous  ministry  of  burying  the 
martyrs,  frequently  purchased  with  gold  the  remains 
of  their  brothers.  They  lovingly  re-united  the  limbs 
separated  by  the  sword,  and  gathered  the  blood  with 
sponges  which  they  afterwards  pressed  into  vials  or 
ampullse ;  and  to  preserve  for  Christian  posterity  the 
full  testimonials  of  the  martyrs'  victory,  they  sought 
diligently  even  for  the  instruments  of  torture.  New 
Eome  was  destined  to  repose  upon  this  superhuman 
foundation,  that  the  hand  of  God,  and  not  that  of  man, 

*  In  pace.  These  two  words,  so  frequently  engraven  on  the 
tombs  of  the  martyrs,  exprass  the  repose  to  which  the  first  Chris- 
tians aspired  after  their  combats.  They  are  taken  from  the 
words  of  Ecclesiasticus.  (xliv.  14).  Corpora  ipsorum,  in  pace 
sepulta  sunt.  Which  the  Roman  church  still  chants  in  the  office 
of  martyrs. 

f  Fecit  aliud  ccemeterium  Via  Appia,  ubi  multi  Sacerdotes  et 
Martyresrequiescunt,  quod  appellatur  usque  inhodiernum  diem 
Caiineterium  Callisti.     Anastas.  in  Calixto, 


92  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

might  be  evident  in  the  astonishing  transformation 
which  was  soon  to  take  place. 

Valerian  and  Tiburtius  distinguished  themselves 
among  all  the  Christians  of  Eome  by  their  zeal  in 
gathering  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs.  They  spent 
their  wealth  in  preparing  places  of  interment  for  these 
generous  athletes,  poor  according  to  the  flesh,  but 
already  kings  in  the  palaces  of  heaven.  Eager  to 
testify  their  respect  for  these  precious  remains,  they 
anointed  them  with  the  richest  perfumes,*  whilst  at 
the  same  time  by  abundant  alms  they  provided  for 
those  families,  who,  by  the  loss  of  their  principal  mem- 
bers, had  been  deprived  of  the  means  of  subsistance. 

The  two  brothers  were  soon  denounced  to  the  pre- 
fect, both  for  their  donations  to  the  lower  classes,  and 
for  their  transgression  of  the  law,  forbidding  the  inter- 
ment of  the  martyrs.  They  were  consequently  arrested 
and  led  before  the  tribunal  of  Almachius.  The  pre- 
fect had  no  intention  of  condemning  the  two  patricians 
whom  he  had  summoned  before  him ;  he  merely 
wished  to  intimidate  them,  and  obtain  satisfaction  for 
their  having  publicly  violated  his  orders. 

"How  is  it  possible!"  he  said  to  them,  "that  you, 
scions  of  a  noble  family,  can  have  so  far  degenerated 
from  your  blood  as  to  associate  yourselves  with  the 
most   superstitious  of  sects?     I  hear  that  you  are 

*  If  the  Christians  expended  little  in  incense  which  the  Pa- 
gans used  so  freely  in  their  sacrifices,  they  compensated  for  this, 
as  Tertullian  says,  by  the  value  they  set  on  perfumes,  using 
them  profusely  in  the  burial  of  martyrs.  "Thura  plane  non 
emimus.  Si  Arabia?  queruntur,  scient  Sabsei  pluris  et  carioris 
suas  merces  Christianis  sepeliendis  pronigari,  quam  diis  fumi- 
gandis."     Apologet.     Cap.  xlii. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  93 

squandering  your  fortune  upon  people  of  the  basest 
extraction,  and  that  you  even  go  so  far  as  to  bury 
with  honor  the  bodies  of  wretches  who  have  been 
punished  for  their  crimes.  Must  we  conclude  that 
they  are  your  accomplices,  and  that  this  is  the  motive 
which  induces  you  to  give  them  honorable  burial  ?" 

It  is  easily  seen  by  the  prefect's  language  that  he 
had  acted  without  the  emperor's  orders  in  his  violent 
proceedings  against  the  Christians;  he  invoked  no 
edict,  preferring  to  impute  to  imaginary  crimes  the 
cruel  death  which  so  many  of  the  faithful  had  suffered 
by  his  orders.  The  younger  of  the  brothers  was  the 
first  to  answer.  u  Would  to  heaven !"  cried  Tiburtius, 
"  that  those  whom  you  call  our  accomplices,  would 
deign  to  admit  us  among  the  number  of  their  servants. 
They  have  had  the  happiness  of  despising  that  which 
appears  something,  and  is  nevertheless  nothing;  in 
dying,  they  have  obtained  that  which  is  not  apparent, 
and  yet  is  the  only  reality.  May  we  imitate  their 
holy  lives,  and  walk  one  day  in  their  footsteps  I" 

Almachius,  completely  disconcerted  by  this  coura- 
geous reply,  endeavored  to  interrupt  the  young  patri- 
cian by  remarking  the  striking  resemblance  between 
the  two  brothers.  "  Tell  me,  Tiburtius,"  he  asked, 
"  which  is  the  older  of  you  two  ?"  Tiburtius  replied, 
"  my  brother  is  not  older  than  I,  nor  am  I  younger 
than  he ;  the  One  Holy,  Eternal  God  has  made  us 
equals  by  His  grace."*  "Well,"  resumed  Alma- 
chius," tell  me  what  is  that  which  appears  something, 
and  is  nothing?"     " Every  thing  in  this  world,"  Ti- 

*  Nee  hie  major,  nee  ego  minor,  quia  nnus  est  Dens  sauetus 
aeternus,  qui  nos  sua  gratia  coaequavit.     Acta  S.  Ccccilice. 


94  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

burtius  warmly  replied,  "  every  thing  which  leads 
souls  to  eternal  death,  the  inevitable  end  of  the  happi- 
ness of  this  life."  "Now  tell  me,"  continued  Al- 
machius,  "what  is  that  which  is  not  apparent,  and 
yet  is  the  only  reality?"  "It  is,"  answered  Tibur- 
tius,  "  a  future  life  of  happiness  for  the  just  and  of 
eternal  torments  for  the  wicked.  Both  rapidly  ap- 
proach, and  yet,  through  a  fatal  self-delusion,  we  turn 
away  the  eyes  of  our  heart  that  we  may  not  see  this 
inevitable  future.  Our  bodily  eyes  are  fixed  upon 
present  objects,  and  we  seek  to  deceive  our  conscience 
by  branding  virtue  with  the  epithets  that  belong  only 
to  evil,  while  we  embellish  evil  with  the  qualities 
which  pertain  solely  to  virtue." 

Almachius  interrupted  the  young  man:  "I  am 
convinced,"  said  he,  "the  sentiments  which  you  ex- 
press do  not  proceed  from  the  spirit  which  animates 
you."  "  You  are  right,"  replied  Tiburtius,  "  I  do  not 
speak  according  to  that  spirit  of  the  world  which  once 
animated  me;  but  according  to  the  spirit  of  Him 
whom  I  have  received  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  my 
soul, — the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."*  "  Do  you  know 
what  you  are  saying?"  angrily  retorted  the  prefect, 
indignant  at  hearing  the  young  man  pronounce  that 
sacred  name  which  attested  the  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity in  him  who  uttered  it  with  so  much  love. 
"  Do  you  know  what  you  are  asking  ?"  said  Tiburtius. 
"  Young  man,"  replied  Almachius,  "  your  enthusiasm 
blinds  you !"  Tiburtius  answered :  "  I  have  learned, 
I  know,  and  I  believe  that  all  I  have  spoken,  is  truth.' ' 

*  Verum  dicis,  quia  non  mente  mea  loquor,  quam  in  saeculo 
habebam,  sed  ejus  quern  in  visceribus  meae  mentis  accepi,  hoo 
est  Dominum  Jesum  Christum.     Acta  S.  Coccilice. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA.  95 

11  But  I  do  not  understand  it,"  retorted  the  prefect, 
and  I  cannot  enter  into  this  order  of  ideas."  "  That 
is  because,"  answered  the  young  man,  borrowing  the 
words  of  the  Apostle,  "  the  sensual  man  perceiveth 
not  the  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of  God.*  But 
the  spiritual  man  judge th  all  things;  and  he  himself 
is  judged  of  no  man."f  Almachius  smiled  with  vexa- 
tion, concealing  his  mortification  at  the  insult  which  he 
had  received ; %  but  not  wishing  that  the  young  man 
should  compromise  himself  further,  he  sent  him  away, 
and  commanded  Valerian  to  be  brought  forward. 


CHAPTER  X. 

INTERROGATORY  OP  VALERIAN.     THE  TWO  BROTHERS  ARE  CONDEMNED 
TO    DEATH. 

"Valerian,"  said  the  prefect,  "your  brother's 
head  is  evidently  crazed ;  you,  I  hope,  will  be  able 
to  give  me  a  sensible  reply."  "  There  is  one  only 
physician,"  answered  Valerian,  "who  has  deigned 
to  take  charge  of  my  brother's  head  and  of  mine.  He 
is  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."§  "Come," 
said  Almachius.  "speak  with  wisdom."  "Your  ear 
is  false,"  replied  Valerian,  "you  cannot  understand 
our  language." 

*  1  Cor.  ii.  14.         f  1  Cor.  ii.  15. 

t  Tunc  ridens  Prsefectus  jussit  amoveri  Tibnrtium  et  applicari 
Valerianum.     Acta  S.  Ccecilce. 

§  Cui  Praefectus  dixit :  Valeriana,  quoniarn  non  est  sani  capitis 
frater  tuus,  saltern  credo  quod  tu  mini  poteris  dare  sapienter 
responsum.     Valerianus  dixit:    Unas  est  medieus,   qui  fratris  . 
mei  caput  et  meum  sua  Sapientia  fovet,  qui  est  Christus  Filiua 
Dei  vivi.     Acta  S.  Ccecilce. 


96  LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

The  prefect  restrained  himself,  and  refusing  to 
accept  the  spontaneous  confession  of  Christianity 
which  the  two  brothers  were  eager  to  make  before 
his  tribunal,  he  endeavored  to  defend  the  Pagan  sen- 
sualism to  which  the  Caesars  were  indebted  for  the 
passive  submission  of  their  people.  "  It  is  you  who 
are  in  error,"  he  said,  "  and  more  than  any  one.  You 
leave  necessary  and  useful  things  to  pursue  folly. 
You  disdain  pleasures,  reject  happiness,  despise  all 
that  constitutes  the  charm  of  existence ;  in  a  word, 
you  have  no  attraction  but  for  that  which  is  opposed 
to  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life."  Valerian  calmly 
replied,  "  I  have  seen,  during  the  winter,  men  tra- 
versing the  country  with  songs  and  merriment,  aban- 
doning themselves  to  every  kind  of  pleasure.  At 
the  same  time,  I  have  seen  peasants  in  the  field,  in- 
dustriously ploughing  the  ground,  planting  the  vine, 
inserting  rose  bushes  upon  the  eglantine  ;  others  graft- 
ing fruit  trees,  or  thinning  the  underbush,  which 
might  injure  their  plantations ;  all,  in  fine,  energeti- 
cally devoting  themselves  to  the  culture  of  the  earth. 
The  men  of  pleasure,  after  looking  at  the  peasants, 
commenced  to  deride  their  painful  work."  "  Misera- 
ble creatures  ["  they  exclaimed,  "  abandon  this  super- 
fluous labor ;  come,  rejoice  with  us,  and  share  our 
amusements.  Why  fatigue  yourselves  with  painful 
toil  ?  "Why  spend  your  lives  in  such  tiresome  occu- 
pations?" They  accompanied  these  words  with  shouts 
of  laughter,  clapping  of  hands,  and  cruel  insults. 

"  Spring  followed  the  cold  and  rainy  season,  and 
behold !  the  fields  cultivated  with  so  much  care,  were 
covered  with  luxuriant  foliage ;  the  bushes  perfumed 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  97 

the  air  with  their  exquisite  roses,  the  grapes  hung  in 
festoons  from  the  vines,  and  the  trees  groaned  under  the 
weight  of  their  luscious  fruits.  The  peasants,  whose 
labor  had  appeared  so  senseless,  were  filled  with  joy, 
but  the  frivolous  young  men  who  had  boasted  of  their 
wisdom,  were  reduced  to  a  frightful  famine,  and 
regretting  too  late  their  effeminate  sloth,  said  one  to 
the  other,  L  Look  at  those  people  whom  we  ridiculed. 
Their  industry  seemed  to  us  a  disgrace ;  we  shuddered 
at  their  mode  of  life,  and  thought  it  contemptible. 
Their  very  persons  we  considered  vile,  their  society 
despicable.  The  result  has  proved  that  they  were 
wise,  and  we,  miserable,  proud,  and  foolish.  We 
would  not  labor,  we  would  not  even  assist  them  in 
their  work ;  in  the  midst  of  our  pleasures  we  scorned 
and  ridiculed  them ;  and  now,  behold  them  sur- 
rounded with  flowers,  crowned  with  glory."*  Thus 
the  young  patrician,  whose  grave  and  gentle  charac- 
ter offered  a  striking  contrast  to  the  impetuous  nature 
of  his  brother,  imitated  the  language  of  Solomon,  and 
condemned  the  vanities  of  the  world,  in  the  very 
bosom  of  the  proudest  and  most  voluptuous  of  cities. 
Almachius  had  listened  to  his  discourse  without  in- 
terrupting him.  Resuming  the  conversation  in  his 
turn,  he  said:  "  You  have  spoken  eloquently,  I  ac- 
knowledge ;  but  I  do  not  see  that  you  have  answered 
my  question."  "  Permit  me  to  finish,"  replied  Vale- 
rian, "you  have  treated  us  as  fools,  because  we  be- 
stow our  riches  upon  the  poor,  receive  strangers  with 
hospitality,  succor  widows  and  orphans,  and  give  the 
bodies  of  the  martyrs  honorable  burial.     According 

*  Acta  S.  CivcilUv, 
9 


98  LIFE    OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

to  your  doctrine,  our  folly  consists  in  refusing  to  in- 
dulge in  voluptuous  pleasures,  and  in  disdaining  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  prerogatives  of  our  birth.  A 
time  will  come  when  we  shall  reap  the  fruit  of  our 
privations.  We  shall  then  rejoice,  but  those  who 
now  revel  in  enjoyment,  will  weep.  The  present 
time  is  given  us  to  sow  seed ;  now,  those  who  sow  in 
joy  in  this  life,  will  reap  sighs  and  tears  in  the  next ; 
whilst  those,  who  in  this  life,  sow  fleeting  tears,  shall 
reap  in  the  future,  an  abundant  harvest  of  endless 
happiness." 

"And  so,"  replied  the  prefect,  "  we  and  our  invin- 
cible princes,  will  have  tears  and  mourning  for  our 
portion,  whilst  you  will  possess  eternal  felicity?" 

"And  who  are  you  and  your  princes  ?"  cried  Vale- 
rian; "you  are  but  mortals,  born  upon  the  day  ap- 
pointed for  you,  and  destined  to  die  when  your  hour 
shall  come.  Moreover,  you  will  have  to  render  to 
God,  a  rigorous  account  of  the  sovereign  power  which 
he  has  placed  in  your  hands."* 

The  interrogatory  had  already  exceeded  the  pre- 
fect's designs.  In  endeavoring  to  justify  his  tyranny 
.  against  the  faithful,  he  had  involved  himself  in  unex- 
pected embarrassments.  Two  patricians  had  appeared 
at  his  bar,  and  through  his  imprudence,  had  given 
vent  to  expressions  insulting  to  the  imperial  dignity ; 
moreover  the  two  brothers  had  solemnly  professed 
Christianity  in  the  very  sanctuary  of  the  law.  Al- 
machius  hoped  to  extricate  himself  from  this  difficult 

*  Quid  enim  vos  estis  ?  aut  quid  principes  vestri  ?  liouiunci- 
ones  estis,  tempore  vestro  nati,  tempore  vestro  expleto  mori- 
turi ;  tantam  Deo  reddituri  rationem,  quantum  summse  vobis 
tradidit  potestatls.     Acta  S.  Ccecilim. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  99 

m 

situation  by  making  to  them  a  proposition,  which, 
should  they  accept  it,  would  justify  him  in  releasing 
them  without  delay.  He  therefore  said  :  "  Enough 
of  these  long,  useless  discourses.  Offer  libations  t<y 
the  gods,  and  you  shall  retire  without  undergoing  any 
punishment." 

There  was  no  question  either  of  burning  incense  to 
the  idols,  or  of  taking  part  in  a  sacrifice ;  a  simple 
libation,  scarcely  perceptible  to  those  present,  would 
release  the  two  brothers,  and  shield  the  magistrate's 
dignity.  Valerian  and  Tiburtius  replied  in  the  same 
breath :  "  Every  day  we  offer  sacrifice  to  God, 
but  not  to  idols."*  " To  what  God?"  enquired  the 
prefect,  "  do  you  pay  homage  ?"  "  Is  there  then  any 
other,"  answered  the  brothers,  "that  you  should  ask 
such  a  question  in  regard  to  God  ?  Is  there  more 
than  one  ?f"  "  But  at  least  tell  me  the  name  of  this 
one  God,  of  whom  you  speak."  "  The  name  of  God, 
neither  you  nor  any  mortal  can  discover,  even  had 
you  wings  and  could  mount  to  the  highest  clouds.":}: 
"  Jupiter,  then,  is  not  the  name  of  a  god?"  "You 
are  mistaken,  Almachius,"  said  Valerian,  "  Jupiter  is 
the  name  of  a  corrupter,  a  libertine.  Your  own 
authors  represent  him  as  a  homicide,  a  man  guilty 
of  every  vice,  and  you  dare  to  call  him  a  God !  I  am 
astonished  at  your  audacity,  for  the  name  of  God  can 
only  belong  to  a  being  who  has  nothing  in  common 

*  Nos  non  diis  sed  Deo  quotidie  sacrificium  exhibemus.  Acta 
S.  C(Ecili(B, 

t  Et  quis  est  Dcus  alius,  ut  de  Deo  nos  interroges  ?  Est  alius 
prseter  unum  ?   Ibid. 

X  Nomcn  Dei  non  invenies  etiamsi  pennis  volare  possis.  Ibid. 


100  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.    % 

with  sin,  and  who  possesses  every  virtue."*  "And 
so,"  replied  Almacliius,  "  the  entire  universe  is  in 
error ;  you  and  your  brother  alone  know  the  true  God." 

Valerian's  heart  was  agitated  with  noble  and  holy 
pride  at  these  words  of  the  prefect,  and  proclaiming 
before  this  haughty  magistrate,  the  immense  progress 
of  Christianity  which  Tertullian  had  so  lately  an- 
nounced to  the  Eoman  Senate,  in  his  apology,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Do  not  deceive  yourself,  Almachius!  The 
Christians,  followers  of  this  holy  doctrine^are  already 
innumerable  in  the  empire.  You  Pagans  will  soon  form 
the  minority ;  you  are  like  the  planks  which  float  upon 
the  sea  after  a  shipwreck,  and  which  have  no  other 
destination  than  to  be  burned."f 

Almachius,  irritated  at  Valerian's  generous  bold- 
ness, ordered  him  to  be  scourged  with  rods ;  he  still 
hesitated  to  condemn  him  to  death.  The  lictors 
immediately  stripped  the  young  man,  who  expressed 
his  joy  at  suffering  for  the  name  of  Christ,  by  these 
courageous  words :  "  The  happy  moment  has  at  last 
arrived  for  which  I  have  so  ardently  longed  ;  this  day 
is  more  delightful  to  me  than  all  the  festivals  of  the 
world." $     During  the  infliction  of  the  cruel  punish- 

*  Erras  Prsefecte  ;  Jovis  nomen  non  est  liominis  corruptoris, 
atque  stupratoris  ?  Homicidam  ilium  vestri  auctores  commemo- 
rant,  et  eriminosum  ilium  literae  vestra?  demonstrant  ;  hunc  tu 
Deum  dicis  ?  miror  qua  fronte  locutus  sis  ;  cum  Deus  dici  non 
possit,  nisi  unus  qui  est  ab  omni  peccato  alienus,  et  omnibus 
virtutibus  plenus.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Innumerabilis  multitudo  Christianitatis  est,  quae  sancti- 
tatem  suscepit  ;  sed  magis  vos  pauci  estis,  qui  sicut  astulae  de 
naufragio  remansistis  ad  nihil  aliud,  nisi  ut  igni  tradamini. 
Ibid. 

$  Ecce  bora,  quam  sitienter  optavi ;  ecce  dies  omni  mihi  festi- 
vitate  jucundior.     Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  101 

merit,  a  herald  made  the  following  proclamation:* 
"  Beware  of  blaspheming  the  gods  and  goddesses." 
Meanwhile,  in  clear  and  powerful  tones,  that  were 
distinctly  heard  amid  the  noise  occasioned  by  the 
strokes  of  the  whip,  Valerian  addressed  the  multitude : 
"  Citizens  of  Eome,"  he  cried,  "  let  not  the  view  of 
these  torments  prevent  you  from  confessing  the  truth ; 
be  firm  in  your  faith  ;  believe  in  the  Lord,  who  alone 
is  holy.  Destroy  the  gods  of  wood  and  stone  to  which 
Almachius  burns  his  incense;  crush  them  into  dust, 
and  know  that  they  who  adore  them  will  be  eternally 
tormented."f 

Almachius  was  agitated  by  this  scene.  What 
would  be  the  issue  of  this  trial  which  he  had  so  im- 
prudently undertaken  ?  Instead  of  two  young  men 
whom  he  had  hoped  to  intimidate,  he  found  himself 
confronted  by  two  courageous  Christians,  who  were 
worthy  of  being  compared  to  the  most  heroic  of  the 

*  Deos,  Deasque  blasphemare  noli.     Acta  S.  Cvecelice. 

This  proclamation,  made  by  a  public  crier  during  the  chas- 
tisement of  a  culprit,  is  prescribed  in  the  Code,  and  in  the 
Pandect,  where  it  is  based  upon  an  edict  of  Gordian,  and  a  sen- 
tence of  Ulpian,  both  of  the  3d  century.  Many  examples  are  to 
be  found  among  the  ancient  authors.  Spartianus,  in  his  Historian 
Augustve,  quotes  the  proclamation  made  during  the  scourging  of 
a  plebian  who  had  dared  to  embrace  Severus,  the  proconsul  of 
Africa.  Legatum  populi  Romani  homo  plebius  temere  amplccti  noli, 
Lampridus  relates  that  under  the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus,  » 
herald  proclaimed  the  following  words  during  the  chastisement 
of  a  court  intriguer  :     Fumo  punitur  qui  vendidit  fumum. 

f  Gives  Romani,  videte  ne  vos  a  veritate  ista  mea  tormenta 
revocent,  sed  state  viriliter  credentes  in  Sancto  Domino,  et  Deos 
quos  colit  Almachius  lapideos  et  ligneos  in  calcem  convertite, 
hoc  scientes,  scquia  interna  tribulation©  erunt  onines  qui  colunt 
eos.     Acta  S»  Caicilioz. 

9* 


102  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

martyrs  whom  he  had  recently  condemned  to  death. 
Should  he  release  these  men  after  a  trivial  punish- 
ment, when  they  had  insulted  the  divinities  of  the 
empire,  and  defied  the  magistrate  on  his  bench  ?  or 
should  he  declare  them  guilty  of  death  ?  A  perfidi- 
ous counsel  addressed  to  his  cupidity,  settled  his  doubts; 
his  assessor,  Tarquinius,  whispered  to  him  :  "  Con- 
demn them  to  death ;  the  occasion  is  a  favorable  one. 
If  you  delay,  they  will  continue  to  distribute  their 
riches  to  the  poor,  and  when  they  shall  finally  suffer 
capital  punishment,  there  will  be  nothing  left  for  you 
to  confiscate." 

Almachius  understood  this  language.  He  was  per- 
sonally interested  in  confiscated  property,  and  there- 
fore resolved  that  his  prey  should  not  escape.  The 
two  brothers  were  again  brought  before  him ;  Vale- 
rian, his  body  mangled  by  the  whips,  and  Tiburtius, 
piously  jealous  that  his  brother  had  been  preferred  to 
him  in  the  honor  of  suffering  for  Christ.  The  sen- 
tence was  immediately  pronounced :  the  two  brothers 
were  to  be  conducted  to  the  Pagus  Triopius  on  the 
Appian  Way,  near  the  fourth  mile-stone.*     At  the 

*  According  to  the  law  of  the  XII.  tables,  executions  took  place 
outside  the  city,  and  not  within  its  walls.  Many  examples  of 
the  application  of  this  law  can  be  found  in  ancient  authors  and 
in  the  acts  of  the  martyrs.  This  custom  was  also  observed 
among  the  Jews.  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  xii., 
11-14,  remarks  that  our  Saviour  was  crucified  outside  the  city 
gates,  and  he  explains  the  mystery  of  this  circumstance  of  the 
Passion.  We  find  no  difficulty  in  asserting  that  the  Pagus  Trio- 
pius to  which  our  martyrs  were  conducted  was  upon  the  Appian 
Way ;  their  being  buried  here  give  us  reason  to  draw  this  con- 
clusion. The  martyrs  of  Rome  were  generally  buried  in  the 
Crypts  of  the  Way  upon  which  they  died,  the  faithful  who 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  103 

end  of  the  route,  there  was  a  temple  of  Jupiter  which 
served  as  an  entrance  to  the  Pagus*  Here  Valerian 
and  Tiburtius  were  to  be  invited  to  burn  incense  be- 
fore the  idols,  and  in  case  of  their  refusal,  were  to  be 
beheaded. 


CHAPTER  XT. 

CONVERSION  OF  MAXIMUS,  NOTARY  OF  ALMACHIUS.  CECILIA'S  IN- 
TERVIEW WITH  HER  HUSBAND  AND  BROTHER.  MARTYRDOM  OF 
SAINTS   VALERIAN    AND   TIBURTIUS. 

As  soon  as  the  sentence  was  pronounced,  Valerian 
and  Tiburtius  were  hurried  forth  to  the  place  of  exe- 
cution, without  being  allowed  a  moment's  time  to  bid 
farewell  to  her,  who  was  the  cherished  bride  of  the 
one  and  the  beloved  sister  of  the  other.  Cecilia  had  not 
been  present  at  the  trial  of  the  two  confessors,  but 
her  ardent  prayers  had  assisted  them  when  before  the 
judges,  where  they  had  proved  themselves  worthy 
of  her  and  of  their  baptism.  God,  however,  whose 
holy  will  it  was  that  she  should  survive  them,  was 
preparing  for  her  at  this  very  moment  a  consoling 
interview  with  her  friends.     Maximus,  the  notary  of 

buried  them  having  thus  less  risk  to  run.  We  have  already  re- 
marked this  with  regard  to  Pope  St.  Callistus.  We  designate  the 
Pagus  Triopius  as  the  theatre  of  the  martyrdom  of  Valerian  and 
Tiburtius,  because  this  Pagus,  although  described  on  one  of  its 
inscriptions  as  situated  at  the  third  mile-stone,  in  reality  did  but 
commence  there,  and  extended  to  the  fourth  mile-stone. 

*  Tunc  Assessor  Praefecti  Tarquinius  clam  dixit  Praefecto  : 
invenisti  occasionem,  tolle  eos,  nam  si  mo  ram  feceris,  et  de  die 
in  diem  protraxeris,  omnes  facilitates  suas  pauperisms  erogabunt, 
et,  punitis  eis,  tu  nihil  invenies.     Acta  *S.  Ccccilicc. 


104  LIFE   OF   SAIXT   CECILIA. 

Almachius,  was  chosen  to  accompany  the  martyrs  to 
their  place  of  execution.  It  was  his  duty  to  render 
an  account  to  the  prefect  of  the  issue  of  this  terrible 
drama.  His  orders  were  to  release  Valerian  and  Ti- 
burtius  if  they  sacrificed  to  the  gods ;  or  to  record 
their  execution  if  they  persisted  in  the  profession  of 
Christianity.  At  the  sight  of  these  two  patricians, 
walking  so  cheerfully  to  execution,  and  conversing 
together  with  tenderness  and  tranquil  joy,  Maximus 
could  not  restrain  his  tears,  and  turning  towards  them, 
he  exclaimed :  "  O,  noble  and  brilliant  flowers  of  the 
Eoman  youth !  0,  brothers,  united  by  such  tender 
love  !  You  persist  in  despising  the  gods,  and  at  the 
very  moment  when  you  lose  every  thing,  you  hasten 
to  death  as  to  a  banquet."*  Tiburtius  replied :  "  If  we 
were  not  certain  that  the  life  which  succeeds  this  will 
last  forever,  do  you  think  we  would  be  so  joyful  at  this 
hour  ?"  "  And  what  is  that  other  life  ?"  asked  Maxi- 
mus. "  As  the  body  is  clothed  with  garments,"  replied 
Tiburtius,  "  so  is  the  soul  clothed  with  the  body  ;  and 
as  the  body  is  stripped  of  its  garments,  so  will  the  soul 
be  divested  of  the  body.  The  body,  which  is  formed  of 
the  earth,  will  return  to  the  earth ;  it  will  be  reduced 
to  dust,  to  rise  again  like  the  phoenix,  f  As  to  the  soul,  if 

*  O  Juventutis  fios  purpureus,  o  gernianus  fraternitatis 
afcctus,  quern  vos  impia  definitione  volentes  aniittere,  ad  inter- 
itum  vestrum  quasi  ad  epulas  festinatis  ?     Acta  S.  Coecilice. 

f  The  ancients  admitted  the  existence  of  this  fabulous  bird, 
and  the  first  Christians  considered  it  a  symbol  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body.  Tiburtius  speaks  here  in  the  language  of 
St.  Clement  of  Rome,  (Epis.  ad  Corinthios,  i.  n°25.)  Tertullian, 
(De  resurrectione  carnis,  cap.  xii.)  St.  Ambrose,  (Hexsemeron, 
lib.  v.  cap.  xxiii.)  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  (Cateches  xviii.,  cap. 
xxiii.)  and  St.  Epiphanius,  (Ancorat.  cap.  lxxxv.) 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  105 

it  be  pure,  it  will  be  transported  to  the  delights  of 
Paradise,  there  to  await  in  the  enjoyment  of  inebria- 
ting happiness,  the  resurrection  of  its  body."* 

This  unexpected  conversation  made  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  Maximus ;  it  was  the  first  time  he  had 
heard  any  thing  contrary  to  those  principles  of  mate- 
rialism which  were  then  so  prevalent  among  the 
Pagans.  He  was  pleased  with  the  new  light  revealed 
to  him.  "  If  I  were  certain  of  this  future  life  of  which 
you  speak,"  said  he,  "  I  feel  that  like  you,  I  would 
despise  the  present  life."  Then  Valerian  filled  with 
the  holy  ardor  which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  communi- 
cated to  him,  thus  addressed  Maximus.  "  Since  you 
only  require  proof  of  the  truth  we  have  announced  to 
you,  receive  the  promise  I  now  make  you.  At  the 
moment  when  it  will  please  our  Lord  to  grant  us  the 
grace  to  shed  our  blood  for  the  confession  of  His  name, 
He  will  deign  to  open  your  eyes  and  permit  you  to 
see  the  glory  into  which  we  shall  enter.  The  only 
condition  to  this  favor  is,  that  you  repent  of  your  past 
sins."  "  I  accept,"  said  Maximus,  "  and  call  down 
upon  myself  the  thunderbolts  of  heaven,  if  from  that 
moment  I  do  not  confess  as  the  only  true  God,  Him 
who  reserves  for  us  a  life  beyond  the  grave.  Now 
therefore  you  have  but  to  show  me  the  vision  which 
you  have  promised.f 

*  Sicut  vestitur  vestimentis  corpus,  ita  vestitur  anima  corpore, 
et  sicut  spoliatur  vestimentis  corpus,  ita  spoliatur  anima  cor- 
pore  ;  corpus  quidem,  quod  terrenum  semen  per  libidinem  dedit, 
terreno  ventri  reddetur,  ut  in  pulverem  redactum,  sicut  Phoenix, 
futuri  luminis  aspectu  resurgat ;  anima  vero  ad  Paradisi  delioiaB, 
si  sancta  sit,perferetur,  ut  in  deliciis  alHuens  tenipus  sua?  resur- 
rect] onis  expectet.     Acta  S.  Cwcilia'. 

t  Tunc  Maximus  devotabat  so  dicens  :  Fulmineis  ignibus  con- 


106  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

By  this  reply,  Maximus  offered  himself  to  be  en- 
rolled among  the  militia  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  the 
two  brothers  were  unwilling  to  die  before  having 
seen  him  regenerated  in  the  baptismal  waters.  They 
therefore  said  to  him:  "  Persuade  our  executioners  to 
conduct  us  to  your  house;  they  can  guard  us  there, 
without  losing  sight  of  us  for  a  moment.  We  ask 
but  a  day's  delay.  We  will  then  send  for  him  who 
will  purify  you,  and  this  very  night  you  shall  see 
what  we  have  promised  you." 

Maximus  did  not  hesitate  to  comply.  The  present 
life,  with  its  fears  and  hopes,  was  already  nothing  in 
his  eyes.  He  led  the  martyrs,  with  their  accom- 
panying escort,  to  his  house,  where  Valerian  and 
Tiburtius  at  once  commenced  to  explain  to  him  the 
Christian  doctrine.  The  notary's  family  and  the 
soldiers  were  present;  grace  touched  their  hearts; 
they  were  convinced  by  the  powerful  words  of  the 
two  apostles,  and  declared  themselves  believers  in 
Jesus  Christ.  Cecilia  had  been  informed  by  Vale- 
rian of  all  that  was  passing.  Her  fervent  prayers 
had  doubtless  contributed  in  obtaining  so  great  an 
effusion  of  graces  ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  consum- 
mate the  divine  work  in  these  men  so  rapidly  con- 
verted to  the  faith  of  Christ.  Cecilia  prepared  every 
thing  with  prudent  zeal ;  at  nightfall,  she  entered 
the  house  of  Maximus,  accompanied  by  several 
priests.*      Human    language   cannot   describe   the 

Bumar,  si  ex  hac  hora  non  ilium  solum  Deum  confitear,  qui 
alteram  vitam  fecit  isti  vitae  succedere  ;  hoc  tantum  vos,  quod 
promisistis  ostendite.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

*  Tunc  sancta  Caecilia  venit  ad  eos  nocte  cum  sacerdotibus. 
Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  107 

sweetness  of  the  interview  which  God  in  His  good- 
ness had  prepared  for  the  two  spouses.  The  pro- 
phetic roses  of  Valerian's  crown  were  soon  to  expand 
in  the  sun  of  eternity ;  while  those  which  decked 
Cecilia's  brow,  were  yet  to  exhale  their  perfume 
upon  earth  for  a  few  days  longer.  It  must  have 
been  sweet  for  these  favored  servants  of  God  to  con- 
verse together  upon  His  holy  designs  in  their  regard, 
and  to  recall  the  many  graces  which  He  had  bestowed 
upon  them,  from  the  mysterious  interview  in  the 
nuptial  chamber,  to  the  present  moment,  when  the 
palm  of  martyrdom  wras  already  within  Valerian's 
reach.  Tiburtius,  the  angels7  favorite,  and  Cecilia's 
second  conquest,  shared,  we  may  presume,  their  part- 
ing interview,  and  bade  farewell  to  Cecilia  with  all 
the  tenderness  of  his  affectionate  nature.  But  the 
two  brothers  and  the  virgin  did  not  forget  the  abun- 
dant harvest  which  they  had  so  happily  met  on  the 
road  to  martyrdom ;  it  was  time  to  gather  it  into  the 
granaries  of  the  heavenly  Father.  In  presence  of 
Cecilia,  of  her  husband,  and  of  her  brother,  amidst 
hymns  of  thanksgiving  to  God,  Maximus,  with  his 
family  and  the  soldiers,  solemnly  professed  the 
Christian  faith,  and  the  priests  poured  upon  their 
heads  the  regenerating  waters  of  baptism.  The 
house  of  Almachius7  notary  had  become  a  temple, 
and  those  who  dwelt  in  it  during  these  few  hours 
stolen  from  heaven,  seemed  animated  by  one  heart 
and  one  soul. 

The  rising  sun  ushered  in  the  day  of  the  martyr- 
dom of  Valerian  and  Tiburtius — the  XVIII  of  the 
calends  of  May.     A  solemn  silence  succeeded  to  the 


108  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

transports  which  faith  had  awakened  in  every  heart. 
It  was  interrupted  by  Cecilia,  who  gave  the  signal 
for  departure,  quoting  the  words  of  St.  Paul :  "  arise, 
soldiers  of  Christ!  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness, 
and  put  on  the  armor  of  light.  You  have  fought  a 
good  fight,  you  have  finished  your  course  ;  you  have 
kept  the  faith.  For  the  rest  there  is  laid  up  for  you 
a  crown  of  justice,  which  the  Lord,  the  just  judge, 
will  render  to  you,  and  to  all  who  love  His  coming.*" 
Animated  by  these  words,  the  martyr  band  resumed 
its  march.  The  two  confessors  were  conducted  by 
the  new  Christian,  Maximus,  and  escorted  by  the 
soldiers  whose  brows  were  still  moistened  with  bap- 
tismal dew.  The  Acts  do  not  mention  whether 
Cecilia  followed  her  husband  and  brother  to  the 
place  of  their  triumph.  She  may  have  returned  to 
Rome,  to  await  the  hour  when  she  would  be  re- 
united to  these  cherished  souls;  or  she  may  have 
preferred  accompanying  the  confessors  and  remain- 
ing with  them  until  their  souls  had  taken  flight  to 
heaven.  What  had  Cecilia  to  dread  upon  earth  ?  In 
preservation  of  her  virginity,  she  had  braved  the 
anger  of  a  Pagan  husband,  and  in  a  few  days  she 
was  to  defy  upon  his  tribunal,  the  formidable  repre- 
sentative of  Roman  power. 

The  martyrs,  with  their  pious  escort,  wended  their 
steps  towards  the  Appian  Way,  through  which  they 

*  Igitur  cum  aurora  noctis  finem  daret,  facto  magno  silentio, 
sancta  Caecilia  dixit  eis  :  Eia  milites  Christi,  abjicite  opera  tene- 
brarum,  et  mduimini  arma  lucis  ;  certamen  bonum  certastis, 
cursum  consummastis,  fidem  servastis  ;  ite  ad  coronam  vitae, 
quam  dabit  vobis  Justus  judex  ;  nou  solum  autem  vobis,  sed  et 
omnibus  qui  diligunt  adventum  ejus.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  109 

were  obliged  to  pass  in  order  to  reach  the  Pagus 
Triopius.  The  remembrance  of  Peter,  meeting  in 
this  same  place  our  Saviour  carrying  His  cross,  re- 
doubled the  brothers'  courage.  Both  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left,  stretched  the  vast  and  silent  galleries 
of  the  Christian  Crypts,  so  that  the  martyrs,  as  they 
passed  to  execution,  saluted  the  hallowed  spot  where 
they  were  so  soon  to  rest.  They  probably  arrested 
their  steps  for  a  moment,  to  gaze  thoughtfully  at  the 
mysterious  valley,  which  contained  the  tombs  of  the 
Apostles,  whom  they  were  so  soon  to  join  in  the 
kingdom  of  everlasting  joy. 

Directly  opposite,  was  St.  Urban's  retreat,  where 
they  had  so  lately  learned  the  secret  of  that  glorious 
immortality,  to  gain  which  they  were  about  to  sacri- 
fice without  regret,  the  joys  of  this  present  life. 
Towards  the  summit  of  the  last  hill,  they  passed 
near  the  tomb  of  Metella ;,  the  name  of  Cecilia,  which 
the  inscription  bore,  reminded  Valerian  of  that 
spouse  whom  heaven  had  given  him,  and  to  whom 
he  owed  much  more  than  earthly  happiness.  He 
was  only  preceding  her  by  a  few  days,  and  soon 
their  souls  would  be  forever  united  in  their  true 
country.  The  fury  of  Almachius  gave  them  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  virgin's  hour  was  fast 
approaching.  The  martyrs  finally  arrived  at  the 
Pagus,  which,  although  called  hospitable  upon  one 
of  the  inscriptions  of  Anna  Eegilla,  had  nothing  to 
offer  the  Christians  but  the  sword  or  apostasy.  The 
priests  of  Jupiter  were  waiting  with  the  incense. 
They  commanded  Tiburtius  and  Valerian  to  pay 
homage   to   the  idol.     The   brothers   refused,   and, 

10 


110  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

throwing  themselves  -upon  their  knees,  offered  their 
necks  to  the  executioners  *  The  Christian  soldiers 
could  not  draw  their  swords  upon  the  martyrs. 
Others,  however,  offered  to  supply  their  place,  and 
the  two  noble  youths  received  at  once,  death  and 
the  crown  of  life.  At  this  moment,  heaven  was 
opened  to  the  eyes  of  Maximus,  who  gazed  for  an 
instant  upon  the  happiness  of  the  saints.  The  zeal- 
ous faithful  secured  the  bodies  of  these  two  heroes 
of  the  Faith,  and  brought  them  to  Cecilia.  She 
herself  buried  the  dear  and  holy  remains  in  the 
cemetery  of  Pretextatus,  near  the  second  mile-stone. 
She  anointed  them  with  the  richest  perfumes  ;  raised 
over  them  the  triumphal  stone,  engraven  with  the 
palm  and  crown,  symbols  of  their  glorious  victory, 
and  she  accompanied  this  pious  duty  with  tears  of 
mingled  hope  and  sorrow.  Not  far  from  their  tombs, 
she  was  soon  to  rest  her  heaven-crowned  brow,  and 
twine  her  palm  with  that  of  her  husband. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MARTYRDOM  OP  ST.  MAXIMUS — ALMACHIUS  SENDS  FOR  CECILIA,  AND 
URGES  HER  TO  SACRIFICE  TO  THE  IDOLS — SHE  REFUSES  AND  CON- 
VERTS   THE      ENVOYS    OF    THE     PREFECT THE     VIRGIN     APPEARS 

BEFORE   THE  TRIBUNAL    OF  ALMACHIUS. 

The  happy  witnesses  of  the  martyrdom  of  Vale- 
rian and  Tiburtius  returned  to  Rome,  filled  with  ad- 

*  Venientibus  ergo  Sanctis  offeruntur  thura,  et  recusant ; 
recusantes  ponunt  genua,  feriuntur  gladio,  projiciunt  corpus 
mortule,  et  gautlium  suscipiunt  sempiternum.  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  Ill 

miration  at  the  courage  of  those  who  had  initiated 
them  into  the  secrets  of  eternal  life,  and  ardently 
desiring  to  follow  them  as  soon  as  possible.  Maxi- 
mus,  burning  with  divine  love,  unceasingly  repeated 
that  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  heaven.  He  affirmed 
on  oath,  that,  at  the  moment  when  the  martyrs  were 
struck  by  the  sword,  he  had  seen  the  angels  of  God, 
resplendent  as  suns,  and  had  beheld  the  souls  of 
Valerian  and  Tiburtius  leave  their  bodies,  like  brides 
adorned  for  a  nuptial  festival.  The  angels  received 
them,  and  bore  them  to  heaven  upon  their  wings.* 
While  saying  these  words,  he  shed  tears  of  joy. 
Many  Pagans,  after  listening  to  him,  were  converted, 
renouncing  their  idols,  and  believed  in  the  one  only 
God,  Creator  of  all  things. 

The  news  of  his  notary's  conversion  soon  reached 
Almachius.  He  was  doubly  irritated,  because  this 
courageous  example  had  been  followed  not  only  by 
the  household  of  Maximus,  but  also  by  many  other 
persons.  The  notary's  fate  was  soon  decided.  He 
was  not  beheaded  as  the  two  patricians  had  been ; 
the  Prefect  caused  him  to  be  beaten  to  death  with 
whips  loaded  with  lead,  which  was  the  punishment 
of  persons  of  inferior  rank.  The  martyr  courage- 
ously rendered  up  his  soul  to  God,  and  Cecilia 
buried  him  with  her  own  hands.  She  chose  a  sepul- 
chre near  those  of  her  husband  and  brother,  and 
ordered  that  a  phoenix  should  be  sculptured  on  the 

*  Maximus  juratus  asserebat,  dicens  :  Vidi  Angelos  Dei  ful- 
gentes  sicut  sol,  in  hora  qua  verberati  sunt  gladio,  et  egredi- 
entes  aninias  eorum  de  corporibus,  quasi  virgines  do  thalamo: 
quas  in  gremio  suo  suscipientes  Angeli,  reniigio  alarum  suarum 
ferebant  ad  coelos.  Acta  S>  Ccecilice. 


112  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

tombstone,*  in  remembrance  of  the  allusion  made  by 
Tiburtius  to  this  marvellous  bird,  when  explaining 
to  Maximus  the  resurrection  of  the  body. 

Meanwhile,  Almachius  had  ordered  the  confisca- 
tion of  all  property  belonging  to  Valerian  and  Ti- 
burtius. In  so  doing,  he  had  acted  conformably  to 
the  Eoman  law.  By  his  orders,  search  was  made 
for  their   goods.     But  the  charitable  and   prudent 

*  Quam  sancta  Caecilia  juxta  Valerianum  et  Tibnrtium  sepe- 
liit  in  novo  sarcophago,  et  jussit  nt  in  sarcophago  ejus  sculpere- 
tur  phoenix  ad  indicium  fidei  ejus,  qui  resurrectionem  se  inven- 
turum,  phoenicis  exemplo,  ex  toto  corde  suscepit.  Acta  S.  Cceci- 
lice. 

This  passage  of  the  Acts  is  of  great  importance  in  confirming 
the  use  of  the  Phoenix,  as  a  symbol,  upon  Christian  tombs. 
Mamachi(  Origines  Christiance,  torn.  iii.  p.  93.)  had  remarked 
it,  but  neither  he  nor  any  other  Christian  archaeologist,  had 
been  able  to  mention  any  other  analogous  fact.  They  limited 
themselves  to  the  notice  of  the  Phoenix  found  upon  the  mosaics 
or  paintings,  subsequent  to  the  peace  of  the  Church,  where  the 
fabulous  bird  is  represented  upon  a  palm  tree,  with  a  circle  of 
rays  around  its  head.  Nevertheless,  the  Phoenix  is  engraved 
upon  many  of  the  sepulchral  monuments  of  the  Catacombs, 
where  it  has  been  frequently  mistaken  for  a  dove.  There  is, 
however,  a  distinction  to  be  remarked.  Both  birds  hold  a 
branch  in  their  beak,  but  the  dove  holds  an  olive  branch,  and 
the  Phoenix  a  palm.  The  bird  with  the  palm,  when  well-de- 
signed, is  identical  with  the  Phoenix  upon  the  Egyptian  medals  ; 
moreover,  an  irresistable  monument  corroborates  this  state- 
ment ;  upon  the  principal  gate  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  we  find  a 
bird,  precisely  like  those  we  have  remarked  in  the  Catacombs, 
holding  a  palm  branch  in  its  beak.  Above  the  head,  the  word 
Fenix  is  written.  The  Chevalier  de  Rossi,  who  has  kindly  fur- 
nished us  with  this  information  respecting  the  frequent  use  of 
this  symbol,  will  give,  in  his  valuable  collection  of  the  Christ- 
ian inscriptions  of  Rome,  a  marble  of  the  Catacombs,  never  be- 
fore given  to  the  public,  upon  which  this  bird  is  engraven,  not 
only  with  the  palm,  but  also  with  the  nimbus  of  the  4th  century. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  113 

Cecilia  had  already  distributed  them  to  the  poor, 
thus  sending  all  her  treasures  before  her,  on  the  eve 
of  her  departure  for  her  celestial  country. 

Cecilia  was  so  well  known  in  Eome  by  her  noble 
birth,  her  husband's  death,  and  that  of  his  brother, 
had  been  accompanied  by  so  many  remarkable  cir- 
cumstances, and  her  profession  of  Catholicity  was  so 
public,  that  the  Prefect  of  Eome  felt  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  require  her  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods  of  the 
Empire.     Nevertheless,  he  at  first  showed  some  hesi- 
tation.    He  would  have  been  glad  to  pause  in  his 
cruel  course,  and  to  avoid  shedding  the  blood  of  this 
noble  lady,  admired  by  all  who  approached  her  for 
her  beauty,  modesty,  and  singular  virtue.     Hoping 
to  avoid  the  publicity  of  a  trial,  which  might  end 
tragically,  and  which  would  certainly  compromise 
still  more  the  responsibility  of  a  magistrate  acting  in 
the  Emperor's  absence  and  without  his  orders,  he  sent 
officers  of  justice  to  the  virgin's  dwelling  with  the  pro- 
posal that  she  should  privately  sacrifice  to  the  gods, 
trusting  to  obtain  from  her  a  compliance  with  his 
wishes,  sufficient  to  shield  his  honor  as  a  judge,  with- 
out obliging  him  to  summon  her  before  his  public 
tribunal. 

The  officers  entered  Cecilia's  dwelling,  and  laid 
before  her  the  prefect's  proposition.  The  virgin  easily 
perceived  the  emotion  which  they  experienced  in 
gazing  upon  her  gentle  and  dignified  countenance. 
Eespect,  deference,  and  evident  embarrassment  in 
fulfilling  their  mission,  were  apparent  in  their  words, 
and  even  in  their  attitude. 

Cecilia  replied  to  their  proposal  with  heavenly  calm- 
10* 


114  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

ness:  "  Citizens  and  brothers,  "said  she,  uhearme.  You 
are  the  magistrate's  officers,  and  in  the  depths  of  your 
hearts  you  despise  his  impious  conduct.  I  am  only 
too  happy  to  suffer  all  kinds  of  torments  for  the  con- 
fession of  Jesus  Christ,  for  I  have  not  the  slightest 
attachment  to  this  life ;  but  I  pity  you,  who,  still  in 
the  flower  of  your  youth,  are  condemned  to  obey  the 
orders  of  an  unjust  judge."*  The  officers  of  Alma- 
chius  could  scarcely  refrain  from  weeping  at  these 
words,  so  distressing  did  it  seem  to  see  this  young, 
noble,  and  talented  patrician  lady  actually  longing 
for  death ;  they  besought  her  not  to  sacrifice  so  many 
advantages.f 

The  virgin  interrupted  them:  "  To  die  for  Christ 
is  not  to  sacrifice  one's  youth,  but  to  renew  it ;  it  is 
giving  vile  dross  for  gold ;  exchanging  a  mean  and 
miserable  dwelling  for  a  magnificent  palace ;  relin- 
quishing a  perishable  thing,  and  receiving  in  return 
an  immortal  gift.  If  any  one  should  offer  you  to-day 
a  large  amount  of  gold,  upon  the  sole  condition  that 
you  should  give  in  return  the  same  weight  of  a  baser 
metal,  would  you  not  show  the  greatest  eagerness  in 
making  so  advantageous  an  exchange  ?     Would  you 

*  Audite  me  cives  et  fratres,  vos  ministri  estis  judicis  vestri, 
et  videtur  vobis,  quod  ab  ejus  impietate  alieni  esse  mereaniini; 
mihi  quidem  gloriosum  est,  et  valde  optabile  omnia,  pro  Christi 
confessione  perferre  tormenta,  quia  cum  hac  vita  numquam  di- 
gnata  sum  habere  amicitias  ;  sed  de  vestra  satis  doleo  juventute, 
quam  sine  sollicitudine  gerentes,  faeitis  quidquid  vobis  fuerit  ab 
injusto  judice  imperatum.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Tunc  illi  dabant  voces  et  fletus,  quod  tarn  elegans  puella, 
et  tam  sapiens  et  nobilis,  libenter  optaret  occidi,  et  rogabant  earn 
dicentes  ne  tale  decus  amitteret,  ne  tantam  pulchritudinem  ver- 
saret  in  mortem.     Ibid, 


LIFE    OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  115 

not  urge  your  parents,  associates,  and  friends  to  share 
your  good  fortune  ?  If  any  one  should  try  to  induce 
you,  even  with  tears,  not  to  accept  such  an  offer, 
would  you  not  consider  him  insane  ?  And  yet,  the 
result  of  all  this  eagerness  would  simply  be  the  ex- 
changing of  a  vile  metal  for  an  equal  weight  of 
another,  more  precious  it  is  true,  but  still  a  mere 
metal.  Jesus  Christ,  our  God,  is  not  satisfied  with 
giving  weight  for  weight ;  He  returns  a  hundred  fold 
for  all  offered  him,  and  adds  to  it  eternal  life."* 

The  officers,  completely  conquered  by  this  dis- 
course, were  unable  to  conceal  their  emotion.  In 
the  enthusiasm  of  her  zeal,  Cecilia  mounted  upon  a 
marble  stand,  and  in  an  inspired  voice  exclaimed: 
" Do  you  believe  what  I  have  told  you?"  Their  re- 
ply was  unanimous.  "  Yes,  we  believe  that  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  who  possesses  such  a  servant,  is  the 
true  God."f  "  Go,  then,"  Cecilia  resumed,  "and  tell 
the  miserable  Almachius  that  I  ask  a  delay ;  that  I 
beg  he  will  defer  my  martyrdom  for  a  short  period. 
Then  return  here  and  you  will  find  him  who  will 
render  you  participants  of  eternal  life.";}:  The  officers, 
already  Christians  in  their  hearts,  carried  Cecilia's 
message  to  the  prefect,  who,  by  a  dispensation  of 
Divine  Providence,  deferred  summoning  the  virgin 

*  Acta  S.  Cceciliai. 

f  Et  his  clictis  ascendit  super  lapidem,  qui  erat  juxta  pedes 
ejus,  et  dixit  omnibus  :  Creditis  hsec  quae  dixi  ?  At  ill i  dixerunt: 
Credimus  Christum  Filium  Dei  verum  Deum  esse,  qui  talem  pos- 
sidet  famulam.     Ibid. 

X  lie  ergo  et  dicite  infelici  Almachio,  quod  ego  inducias  petara, 
ut  non  urgeat  passionem  meam,  et  hie  intra  doiuuni  ineam  faciem 
"venire,  qui  vos  omnes  faciat  vita)  ceternaj  participes.     Ibid. 


116  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

* 

before  his  tribunal.  Cecilia  immediately  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  Pope  Urban,  informing  him  of  her  approach- 
ing  martyrdom,  and  of  the  new  conversions  which 
she  had  effected.  Besides  the  officers  of  Almachius, 
a  number  of  persons  of  every  age,  sex,  and  condition, 
principally  from  the  trans-Tiberian  region,  touched 
by  divine  grace,  ardently  desired  baptism. 

St.  Urban  was  desirous  of  coming  himself  to  reap 
so  rich  a  harvest,  and  to  bless  the  heroic  virgin,  who 
would  in  a  few  days  extend  to  him  from  heaven, 
the  palm  of  martyrdom.  The  presence  of  the  holy 
pontiff  was  a  great  happiness  for  Cecilia.  The  bap- 
tism was  celebrated  with  much  splendor;  more  than 
four  hundred  persons  received  the  grace  of  regenera- 
tion. Cecilia,  desirous  of  preventing  the  confisca- 
tion of  her  goods,  employed  the  last  hours  of  her 
life  in  making  over  to  one  of  the  converts,  named 
Gordian,  all  claims  to  her  house,  that  it  might  hence- 
forth serve  as  an  assembly  for  the  Christians,  and 
increase  the  number  of  the  Komar]  Churches.* 

Notwithstanding  the  danger,  St.  Urban  remained 
under  Cecilia's  roof  for  several  days,  during  which 
time,  her  house  was  a  centre  whence  the  rays  of  di- 
vine  grace  were  diffused  throughout  Eome,  for  the 
advancement  of  the  Church,  and  the  destruction  of 
the  empire  of  Satan.  At  length  Cecilia  was  sum- 
moned before  Almachius.  The  virgin  thus  called 
upon  to  confess  her  faith,  appeared  before  the  judge 

*  Inter  quos  unus  clarissimus  vir  erat  nomine  Gordianus,  hie 
sub  defensione  sui  nominis  domum  sanctse  Coeciliae  suo  nomine 
titulavit,  nt  in  occulto  ex  ilia  die,  ex  qua  baptism  a  Christi  ibi 
celebratum  est,  Ecclesia  Dominica  fieret.     Acta  S,  Ccecilice. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  117 

with  holy  assurance.  Although  in  presence  of  the 
man  whose  hands  had  been  imbrued  in  the  blood  of 
her  husband  and  of  her  brother,  in  the  midst  of  a 
prsetorium  decorated  with  the  impure  and  sacrilegi- 
ous images  of  the  heathen  divinities,  the  bride  of 
Christ  had  never  appeared  more  dignified  and 
modest.  Wholly  absorbed  in  Him  to  whom  she 
had  given  her  heart,  and  who  had  at  length  called 
her  to  celebrate  the  heavenly  nuptials,  Cecilia  looked 
with  contempt  upon  the  perishable  things  of  earth. 

Her  mission  was  accomplished.  The  martyrs 
whom  she  had  formed,  had  preceded  her  to  heaven; 
others  would  soon  follow  her.  One  earnest  protes- 
tation against  the  brutal  force  which  sought  to  deter 
men  in  their  search  after  the  eternal  good ;  one  last 
courageous  avowal  of  her  faith,  and  she  would  re- 
ceive the  palm  of  martyrdom. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


INTERROGATORY    OF    ST.    CECILIA. 


Almachius  shuddered  in  presence  of  so  noble  and 
gentle  a  victim,  and  feigning  not  to  recognize  the 
daughter  of  the  Cecilii,  thus  boldly  addressed  her  : 
M  Young  woman,  what  is  thy  name?"* 
11  Men  call  me  Cecilia,"  replied  the  virgin,  but  my 
most  beautiful  name  is  that  of  Christian."! 

*  Quod  tibi  nomon  est,  puella?  Acta  S.  CaecU'uv, 
f  CcDcilia,    sed   apud   homines ;    quod   autem   illustrius   est 
Christiana  sum.   Ibid. 


118  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

"What  is  thy  rank?"  "A  citizen  of  Eome,  of 
an  illustrious  and  noble  race."*  "  My  question 
refers  to  thy  religion  ;  we  know  the  nobility  of  thy 
family." 

"  Your  interrogation  was  not  very  precise,  since 
it  requires  two  answers,"!  replied  Cecilia. 

"  Whence  comes  this  assurance  in  my  presence?" 
"From  a  pure  conscience  and  sincere  faith."^: 
"  Art  thou  ignorant  of  the  extent  of  my  power?" 
"  And  do  you  know  who  is  my  protector  and  my 
spouse  ?"§ 

"Who  is  he?" 
"  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ.")) 

"  Thou  wert  the  bride  of  Valerian  ;  this  I  know." 
The  virgin  could  not  unfold  the  mysteries  of 
heaven  to  profane  ears.  She  took  no  notice,  there- 
fore, of  the  prefect's  remark,  but  reverting  to  the 
insolent  manner  in  which  he  had  boasted  of  his 
power  :  "  Prefect,"  she  said,  "  you  spoke  of  power ; 
you  have  not  the  least  idea  of  what  it  is :  but  if  you 
question  me  upon  the  subject,  I  can  demonstrate  the 
truth  to  you."^[ 

"  Well,  speak,"  replied  Almachius,  "  I  would  like 
to  hear  thy  ideas. 

"  You  only  listen  to  what  pleases  you,"  said  Ce- 

*  Civis  Romana,  illustris  et  nobilis.    Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Interrogatio  tua  stultum  sunipsit  exordium,  quae  duas  res- 
ponsiones  una  putat  inquisitione  concludi.  Ibid, 

I  De  conscientia  bona  et  fide  non  ficta.    Ibid. 

§  Et  tu  ignoras  cujus  sponsa  sim  ego  ?  Ibid. 

||  Domini  Jesu  Christi.   Ibid. 

IT  Tu,  Praefecte,  te  ipsum  ignoras,  cujus  sis  potestatis  ;  nam 
si  me  interroges  de  tua  potestate,  verissimis  tibi  assertionibus 
manifesto.  Ibid. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  119 

cilia;  " however,  attend.  The  power  of  man  is  like 
a  bladder  inflated  with  wind.  Let  but  a  needle 
pierce  the  bladder,  it  will  immediately  collapse."* 

"  Thou  did'st  commence  with  insult,"  replied  the 
prefect,  " and  wilt  thou  continue  in  the  same  strain?" 

"  Insults,"  replied  the  virgin,  " consist  in  alleging 
things  which  have  no  foundation.  Prove  that  what 
I  have  said  is  false,  and  I  will  acknowledge  that 
I  have  insulted  you;  otherwise  your  reproach  is 
injurious."! 

Almachius  changed  the  subject.  "  Knowest  thou 
not  that  our  masters,  the  invincible  emperors,;}:  have 
ordered  that  those  who  confess  themselves  Christians 
are  to  be  punished ;  whereas,  those  who  consent  to 
deny  the  name  of  Christ  are  to  be  acquitted?" 

"  Your  emperors  are  in  error  as  well  as  your  ex- 
cellency. The  law  which  you  quote  simply  proves 
that  you  are  cruel  and  we  innocent.  If  the  name  of 
Christian  were  a  crime,  it  would  be  our  part  to  deny 
it,  and  yours  to  force  us  by  torments  to  confess  it."§ 

uBut,"  said  the  prefect,  "the  emperors  have  en- 

*  Qualiter  delectaris,  taliter  judicaris,  tamen  audi :  potestas 
hominis  sic  est  quasi  uter  vento  repletus,  quern  si  una  acus  pu- 
pugerit,  omnis  rigor  cervicis  ejus  follescit,  et  quidquid  rigiduin 
in  se  habere  cernitur  incurvatur.     Acta  S.  Cczcilice. 

f  Injuria  non  dicitur,  nisi  quod  verbis  fallentibus  irrogatur ; 
aut  injuriam  doce,  si  false  locuta  sum,  aut  te  ipsum  corripe 
calumniam  inferentem.     Ibid. 

t  We  will  explain  elsewhere  the  reason  why  Almachius  invoked 
the  emperors  rather  than  the  Emperor  Alexander  Severus,  who 
reigned  alone.     The  reader  has  probably  already  divined  it. 

§  Sic  imperatores  vestri  errant,  sicut  et  Nobilitas  vestra  ;  sen- 
tentia  enim,  quam  ab  eis  prolatam  esse  testaris,  vos  scevientes, 
et  nos  innocentes  ostendit ;  si  enim  malum  esset  hoc  nomen,  nos 
negaremus,  vos  vero  ad  conntendum  suppliciis  urgeretis.     Ibid. 


120  LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

acted  this  law  through  motives  of  clemency,  that 
they  might  provide  you  with  a  means  of  saving  your 
lives." 

"  Can  there  be  any  thing  more  unjust,  than  your 
conduct  towards  the  Christians!"  replied  the  virgin. 
"  You  use  tortures  to  force  criminals  to  acknowledge 
the  time,  the  place,  and  the  accomplices  of  their  guilt; 
whereas,  our  crime  is  that  we  bear  the  name  of  Chris- 
tian, and  if  we  do  but  deny  that  name,  we  obtain 
your  favor.  But  we  know  the  greatness  of  this  name, 
and  we  cannot  deny  it.  Better  die  and  be  happy, 
than  live  and  be  miserable.  You  wish  us  to  pro- 
nounce a  lie ;  but  in  speaking  the  truth,  we  inflict 
a  much  greater  and  more  cruel  torture  upon  you 
than  that  which  you  make  us  suffer.* 

u  Cease  this  audacitv  "  said  Almachius,  "  and 
choose  either  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  or  to  deny  the 
name  of  Christian,  and  thou  shalt  go  in  peace." 

"  What  a  humiliating  position  for  a  magistrate!" 
said  Cecilia,  with  a  smile  of  compassion.  M  He  wishes 
me  to  deny  the  title  which  proves  my  innocence,  and 
to  pollute  my  lips  with  a  lie.  He  consents  to  spare 
me,  but  his  clemency  is  a  refinement  of  cruelty.  If 
you  believe  the  accusation  brought  against  me,  why 
endeavor  to  force  me  to  deny  it  ?  If  you  desire  to 
release  me,  why  do  you  not  inquire  into  the  truth  of 
the  charge  ?"f 

"  Here  are  the  accusers,"  replied  Almachius,  "  they 

*  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

t  O  judicem  necessitate  confusum,  vult  ut  negem  me  inno- 
centem,  ut  ipse  faciat  nocentem ;  parcit  et  saevit,  dissimulat  et 
advertit ;  si  vis  damnare,  cur  hortaris  negare  ?  Si  vis  absolvere, 
quare  non  vis  inquirere  ?     Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  121 

declare  that  thou  art  a  Christian.  Simply  deny  it, 
and  the  accusation  is  worthless;  but  if  thou  wilt 
persist  in  not  denying  it,  thou  wilt  see  thy  folly 
when  thy  sentence  is  pronounced." 

"  The  accusation  is  my  triumph,"  said  Cecilia, 
"  the  punishment  will  be  my  victory.  Do  not  tax  me 
with  folly,  rather  reproach  yourself  for  believing 
you  could  induce  me  to  deny  Christ."* 

"Unhappy  woman !"  exclaimed  Almachius,  "know- 
est  thou  not  that  the  power  of  life  and  death  is  placed 
in  my  hands  by  the  authority  of  the  invincible  princes  ? 
How  darest  thou  address  me  with  so  much  pride?" 

"  Pride  is  one  thing,  firmness  another,"  replied  the 
virgin.  "I  spoke  with  firmness,  not  with  pride,  for 
it  is  a  vice  we  detest.  If  you  are  not  afraid  of  hear- 
ing the  truth,  I  will  prove  to  you  that  what  you  have 
said  i&  false  ?"f 

"  "Well,"  said  the  prefect,  "  what  did  I  say  that  is 
false?" 

"You  told  an  untruth  when  you  said  that  the 
princes  had  conferred  upon  you  the  power  of  life 
and  death." 

"  I  told  a  lie  in  saying  that  ?"  said  Almachius  with 
astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Cecilia,"  "and  if  you  permit  me,  I 
will  prove  to  you  that  your  lie  is  self-evident." 

*  Horum  mihi  accusatio  votiva  est,  et  tua  poena  victoria  ;  noli 
me  ut  dementem  arguere,  sed  te  ipsum  increpa,  quia  Christum 
me  aestimas  denegare.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Aliud  est  esse  superbum,  et  aliud  esse  constantem  ;  ego  con- 
stanter  locuta  sum  et  non  superbe,  quia  superbiam  et  nos  for- 
titer  execramur ;  tu  autem  si  verum  audire  non  times,  iterum 
te  docebo  falsissime  et  nunc  esse  locutum.     Ibid. 

11 


122  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

"  Explain  thyself,"  said  the  prefect  quite  discon- 
certed. 

11  Did  you  not  say  that  your  princes  have  conferred 
upon  you  the  power  of  life  and  death  ?  You  well 
know  that  you  have  only  the  power  of  death.  You 
can  take  away  life  from  those  who  enjoy  it,  but  you 
cannot  restore  it  to  the  dead.  Say,  then,  that  the 
emperors  have  made  of  you  a  minister  of  death,  and 
nothing  more;  if  you  add  anything  else,  you  do  not 
speak  the  truth."* 

The  prefect  concealing  his  "mortification  at  this 
affront,  said  with  feigned  moderation :  "  Cease  this 
audacity,  and  sacrifice  to  the  gods!  "As  he  spoke 
he  pointed  to  the  statues  that  filled  the  Praetorium. 

11  You  certainly  have  lost  the  use  of  your  eyes," 
replied  Cecilia,  "  I,  and  all  who  have  good  sight,  can 
only  see  in  the  gods  of  which  you  speak,  pieces  of 
stone,  brass,  or  lead."f 

"  As  a  philosopher,  I  bore  thy  insults  when  they 
were  directed  only  against  me,"  said  Almachius, 
"but  I  will  not  suffer  an  insult  against  the  gods." 

"Since  you  first  opened  your  mouth,"  replied  the 
virgin,  with  severe  irony,  "  you  have  not  uttered  a 
word  that  I  have  not  proved  to  be  either  unjust  or 

*  Dixisti  principes  tuos,  et  vivificandi,  et  mortifieandi  copiam 
tribuisse  licentise,  cum  solem  mortifieandi  scias  tibi  traditam  po- 
testatem ;  vitam  enim  viventibus  tollere  potes,  mortuis  dare 
non  potes  :  die  ergo,  quia  Imperatores  tui,  mortis  ministrum  te 
esse  voluerunt ;  nam  si  quid  plus  dixeris,  videberis  frustra 
mentitus.     Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

f  Nescio  ubi  tu  oculos  amiseris,  nam  quos  tu  Deos  dicis,  ego, 
et  omnes  qui  oculos  sanos  habemus,  saxa  videmus  esse,  et 
aeramentum,  et  plumbum.     Ibid, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  123 

unreasonable.  That  nothing  maybe  wanting,  behold 
you  convicted  of  having  lost  your  sight.  You  call 
gods,  these  objects  which  we  all  see  are  but  useless 
stones.  Touch  them  yourself,  and  you  will  feel 
what  they  are.  Why  thus  expose  yourself  to  the 
ridicule  of  the  people  ?  Every  one  knows  that  God 
is  in  heaven.  These  stone  statues  would  be  of  more 
service  if  they  were  cast  into  a  furnace  and  converted 
into  lime.  They  decay  in  their  idleness,  and  are  in- 
capable of  either  protecting  themselves  from  the 
flames,  or  of  delivering  you  from  them.  Christ  alone 
can  save  from  death,  and  deliver  the  guilty  from  eter- 
nal fire."* 

These  were  the  last  words  which  Cecilia  pro- 
nounced before  the  judge.  In  her  animated  replies, 
she  had  avenged  the  dignity  of  man,  so  unworthily 
violated  by  idolatry  and  Pagan  tyranny ;  she  had 
branded  the  gross  materialism  which  had  so  long 
enslaved  the  world,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  a  God. 
Nothing  remained  but  to  suffer  the  glorious  death 
for  which  she  so  ardently  longed. 

But  though  Almachius  could  hardly  avoid  pro- 
nouncing  sentence   against   one    who    had    openly 

*  Ex  eo  quod  os  aperuisti,  non  fuit  sermo  quern  non  probarem 
injustum,  stultum,  et  vanum ;  sed  ne  quid  deeset,  puto  etiam 
exterioribus  oculis  te  ccecum  ostendis,  ut  quod  omnes  lapidem 
videmus  esse,  saxum  inutile,  hoc  tu  Deum  esse  testaris.  Do,  si 
jubes,  consilium  :  mitte  manum  tuam,  et  tangendo  disce  saxum 
hoc  esse,  si  videndo  non  nosti ;  nefas  est  enim  ut  totus  populus 
de  te  risum  habeat,  cum  omnes  sciant  Deum  in  ccelis  esse  ;  istas 
autem  figuras  saxeas  per  ignem  melius  in  calcem  posse  converti, 
quae  modo  sui  otio  pereunt,  et  neque  tibi  pereunti,  neque  sibi, 
si  in  ignem  mittantur,  poterunt  subvenire.  Solus  Christus 
eripit  de  morte,  et  do  igno  ipse  valet  liberare.  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


124  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

insulted  the  officers  of  justice,  the  religion  of  the 
gods,  and  the  majesty  of  the  empire,  he  dreaded 
commanding  the  execution  of  a  noble  patrician  lady, 
who  added  to  innumerable  charms,  the  gift  of  win- 
ning the  hearts  of  all  who  approached  her.  More- 
over, he  feared  the  Emperor's  reproaches  on  his 
return,  for  so  odious  a  spectacle  in  the  very  heart 
of  Home  could  scarcely  fail  to  excite  murmurs 
among  the  patricians.  Alexander  would  learn  that 
the  insults  offered  to  the  Empire  and  the  gods,  had 
sprung  from  the  imprudence  of  the  prefect,  who, 
without  any  imperial  mandate,  had  arrested  the 
Christians.  His  violence  against  the  faithful  of  the 
lower  class  had  led  not  only  distinguished  noblemen 
to  his  bar,  but  even  the  daughter  of  the  Cecilii.  Al- 
machius  would  not  have  exposed  himself  to  such 
serious  embarrassments,  had  he  been  aware  of  the 
sacred  bonds  which  unites  all  the  disciples  of  Christ, 
"in  whom,"  says  St.  Paul,  "there is  neither  Scythian 
nor  Eoman,  nor  free  man,  nor  slave,  but  Christ  is  all 
and  in  all." 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 


MARTYRDOM    OF    ST.    CECILIA. 


Desirous  that  Cecilia  should  be  executed  without 
publicity  or  tumult,  Almachius  commanded  that  she 
should  be  taken  home,  and  confined  in  the  bath-room 
of  her  palace,  called  by  theEomans,  the  Caldarium* 

*  The  Roman  baths  were  divided  into  several  halls.     The 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  125 

This  was  to  be  kept  intensely  heated,  until  the 
suffocating  atmosphere  had  deprived  her  of  life. 

This  cowardly  expedient,  however,  failed.  Cecilia 
joyfully  entered  the  place  of  her  martyrdom,  and 
remained  there  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  the  ensuing 
night,  without  the  fiery  atmosphere  she  breathed,  pro- 
ducing even  the  slightest  moisture  upon  her  skin.  A 
celestial  dew,  like  that  which  refreshed  the  three  child- 
ren in  the  Babylonian  furnace,  delightfully  tempered 

first  was  the  frigidarium,  where  cold  baths  were  taken ;  the 
second,  tepidarium,  where  the  water  was  tepid ;  and  the  third, 
called  caldarium,  or  ealidariwn,  or  sometimes  sudatorium,  was 
reserved  for  vapor  baths.  Reservoirs  of  boiling  water  sent 
whirlwinds  of  vapor  through  this  hall ;  and  a  furnace,  called 
laconicum,  the  flames  of  which  were  circulated  by  means  of 
pipes  laid  under  the  floor,  and  imbedded  in  the  thick  walls, 
increased  the  temperature  to  a  burning  heat.  The  vaulted 
ceiling  was  generally  built  of  stucco,  and  was  of  hemispherical 
form.  It  was  closed  by  a  brass  shield,  which  was  worked  by 
means  of  a  chain,  and  served  as  a  valve  when  the  intensity  of 
the  heat  became  suffocating.  A  description  of  the  caldarium 
may  be  found  in  Vitruvius,  lib.  x.  cap  x. 

The  punishment  to  which  Almachius  condemned  St.  Cecilia, 
is  not  without  a  parallel  in  history.  This  method  of  inflicting 
death,  without  shedding  blood,  was  employed  by  Constantine, 
in  the  execution  of  the  Empress  Fausta.  Zosimus  relates  that 
by  the  Emperor's  orders,  the  princess  was  enclosed  in  a  bath, 
heated  to  suffocation,  and  that  she  was  taken  out  dead.  We 
find  another  example  in  Rome  of  a  martyrdom  inflicted  under 
circumstances  analagous  to  those  that  attended  the  death  of  St* 
Cecilia.  It  is  that  of  the  brothers  Sts.  John  and  Paul,  unde 
Julian  the  Apostate.  This  prince,  not  wishing  to  publish  edicts 
against  the  Christians,  adopted  a  less  dangerous  and  more  effica- 
cious system  of  persecution.  The  two  Christians,  after  pro- 
fessing their  faith  before  the  Roman  Prefect,  Terentianus,  were 
reconducted  to  their  own  palace,  where  they  were  secretly- 
beheaded  by  the  executioners   who  afterwards  buried  them. 

11* 


126  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

the  air  of  the  heated  apartment,  so  that  the  remark 
made  in  later  years  of  the  intrepid  Archdeacon  Law- 
rence, could  well  have  been  applied  to  the  virgin, 
viz. :  that  the  fire  of  divine  love  which  consumed 
him  interiorly,  destroyed  the  strength  of  the  material 
fire  which  surrounded  him  exteriorly.*  Vainly  did 
the  ministers  of  Almachius  increase  the  fire  by 
heaping  wood  upon  the  furnace;  vainly  did  the 
heated  apertures  send  forth  volumes  of  boiling 
vapor  into  the  apartment.  The  power  of  God  pro- 
tected His  servant,  who  calmly  waited  until  it  should 
please  her  Divine  Spouse  to  admit  her,  by  some 
other  kind  of  death,  into  His  eternal  kingdom.f 

Almachius,  on  hearing  of  this  prodigy,  was  much 
disconcerted.  He  had  hoped  to  avoid  shedding  the 
blood  of  a  Boman  lady  ;  but  he  had  gone  too  far  to 
recede,  and  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  send  a 
lictor  to  behead  the  saintly  virgin.  The  officer  pre- 
sented himself  before  her,  armed  with  a  sword. 
Cecilia  hailed  him  with  joy  as  the  bearer  of  her  nup- 
tial crown.  She  offered  her  neck  to  the  executioner 
with  an  eagerness  that  might  be  expected  from  one 
who  had  already  triumphed  over  all  that  could 
terrify  or  seduce  human  nature.  The  lictor  vigor- 
ously brandished  his  sword,   but  his  arm  was  so 

*  Superari  charitas  Christi  flamma  non  potuit,  et  segnior 
fuit  ignis  qui  foris  ussit  quam  qui  intus  accendit.  Sermo  in 
Natali  S.  Laurentii. 

f  Cumque  fuisset  in  calore  balnei  inclusa,  et  subter  incendia 
nimia  lignorum  pabula  ministrarent  die  integra  et  nocte  tota, 
quasi  in  frigido  loco  illibata  perstitit  sanitate,  ita  ut  nee  una 
pars  membrorum  ejus  saltern  sudoris  signo  lassaretur.  Acta  S. 
C(zcill<je, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  127 

unsteady,  that  although  he  struck  her  three  times, 
he  could  not  succeed  in  severing  the  head  from  the 
body.  Terrified,  he  withdrew  from  the  room,  leaving 
the  virgin  stretched  upon  the  ground,  bathed  in  her 
blood.  The  law  forbade  the  executioner,  who,  after 
three  attempts,  had  not  dispatched  his  victim,  to  ven- 
ture upon  a  fourth  trial.* 

The  doors  of  the  bath-room  had  remained  open 
after  the  lictor's  departure ;  and  the  crowd  of  Christ- 
ians who  were  awaiting  the  consummation  of  the 
sacrifice,  respectfully  entered  the  room.  A  sublime 
and  lamentable  spectacle  met  their  eyes.  Cecilia,  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  still  smiled  upon  the  poor  whom 
she  loved,  and  the  neophytes,  who  had  been  converted 
by  her.  With  eagerness,  they  gathered  up  with 
linen  cloths,  the  blood  which  was  flowing  from  her  vir- 
ginal wounds ;  f  all  endeavored  by  every  means  to  testify 
their  veneration  and  love.  From  one  moment  to  the 
next,  they  expected  to  see  her  sever  the  last  link 
which  held  her  captive,  and  yield  up  her  beautiful 
soul  to  God.  The  crown  is  suspended  above  Cecilia's 
head ;  she  has  only  to  stretch  forth  her  hand  to  grasp 
it,  and  yet  she  lingers.  The  faithful  were  ignorant 
of  the  delay  which  she  had  asked  and  obtained  from 
heaven. 

*  Hoc  cum  audisset  Almachius,  misit  qui  earn  in  ipso  balneo 
decollaret  ;  quam  cum  spiculator  tertio  ictu  percussisset,  caput 
ejus  amputare  non  potuit :  sic  autem  semineccm  earn  cruentus 
carnifex  dereliquit ;  nam  apud  veteres  lex  erat  eis  imposita,  ut 
si  in  tribus  percussionibus  non  decollaretur,  amplius  percutere 
non  audebat.  Acta  S.  Cadi  ice. 

t  Cujus  sanguineni  omnes  bibulis  lintoamiiiibus  populi,  qui 
per  earn  crediderant,  extergebant.     Ibid. 


128  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

During  three  entire  days,  they  surrounded  her 
bloody  couch,  wavering  between  hope  and  fear,  and 
filled  with  respect  for  the  will  of  God,  so  mysteriously 
manifested  in  His  servant.  Cecilia  unceasingly  ex- 
horted them  to  remain  firm  in  the  faith.  From  time 
to  time,  she  made  the  poor  approach  her ;  she  lavished 
upon  them  the  most  touching  marks  of  her  affection, 
and  desired  that  the  remainder  of  her  fortune  should 
be  divided  among  them.*  The  officers  whose  duty  it 
was  to  confiscate  her  property,  had  not  presented 
themselves.  They  knew  that  the  executioner  had 
missed  his  victim  ;  and,  moreover,  this  palace,  stained 
with  blood,  must  have  been  as  terrible  to  the  Pagans 
as  it  was  august  in  the  eyes  of  the  faithful,  who 
venerated  it  as  the  glorious  arena  where  Cecilia  had 
won  her  crown. 

For  one  moment,  the  crowd  subsided.  The  dying 
virgin  was  about  to  receive  the  visit  of  Saint  Urban, 
who,  as  we  have  said,  had  been  concealed  in  the  pal- 
ace for  several  days.  Until  the  present  moment,  pru- 
dence had  prevented  the  venerable  old  man  from 
approaching  the  martyr,  who  was  awaiting  his  visit, 
before  taking  her  flight  to  heaven.  She  wished  to 
receive  the  blessing  of  the  Father  of  the  faithful,  and 
to  consign  to  his  hands  the  only  inheritance  which 
she  left.  The  Pontiff  entered  the  bath-room,  and  was 
deeply  moved  at  beholding  his  beloved  daughter 
extended  like  a  lamb  offered  in  sacrifice,  upon  the 
altar,  inundated  with  her  blood. 

*  Per  triduum  autem  quod  supervixit,  non  cessavit,  quos  nti- 
trierat  et  quos  docuerat  in  fide  Domini  confortare,  quibus  et 
divisit  univeroa  qua?  habuit.  Acta  S.    Cctcilice. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  129 

Cecilia  gazed  at  him  with  ineffable  sweetness  and 
joy.  "Father,"  she  said,  "I  asked  this  delay  of 
three  days,  from  our  Lord,  that  I  might  place  in  the 
hands  of  your  Beatitude,*  my  last  treasure,  the  poor 
whom  I  feed  and  who  will  miss  me.  I  also  bequeath 
to  you  this  house  in  which  I  have  lived,  that  you  may 
consecrate  it  as  a  church,  and  that  it  may  become  the 
temple  of  the  Lord  forever.f 

After  these  words,  the  virgin  thought  only  of  pre- 
paring her  soul  to  meet  its  Spouse.  She  thanked 
Christ,  that  He  had  deigned  to  associate  her  to  the 
glory  of  the  athletes,  and  had  crowned  her  with  a 
wreath  composed  of  the  roses  of  martyrdom,  twined 
with  the  lilies  of  virginity.  The  heavens  were 
already  opened  to  her  eyes,  and  a  moment  of  faintness 
announced  that  her  last  hour  was  approaching.  She 
was  lying  upon  her  right  side,  in  an  attitude  of  vir- 
ginal modesty.  At  the  last  moment,  her  arms  fell 
by  her  side,  and,  turning  her  face  against  the  ground 
so  that  none  could  witness  the  last  secret  communings 
of  her  departing  soul  with  the  divine  object  of  all 
her  love,  she  tranquilly  expired.^ 

*  Respecting  the  antiquity  of  this  title  given  to  the  Roman 
Pontiff,  many  examples  may  be  found  in  letters  addressed  to 
the  Pope  from  the  East  and  the  West  throughout  the  fourth 
century.  Such  uniformity  at  this  time,  proves  that  the  cus- 
tom dated  still  farther  back.  Among  other  letters,  may  be 
seen  those  from  the  Orientals  to  Saint  Julius,  those  of  Saint 
Athanasius  and  the  Bishops  of  Egypt  to  the  same  Pontiff,  those 
of  Saint  Jerome  and  of  Aurelius  of  Carthage  to  Saint  Damasus,  etc. 

f  Sancto  Urbano  Papa?  dixit :  A  dime  triduanas  mihi  propose! 
inducias,  ut  et  istos  tuse  Beatitudini  traderem  qmoa  nutrivi,  et 
banc  domum  meam  in  aeternuni  Eoclesia  nomini  consocraros. 
Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 

t  These  details  respecting  Cecilia's  dying  position  are  not 


130  LIFE  OF  SAIOT   CECILIA. 

So  great  a  martyr  could  be  buried  by  none  but  the 
most  august  hands.  Saint  Urban,  assisted  by  the 
deacons,  presided  at  her  funeral  ceremonies.  They 
laid  her  in  a  cypress  coffin,  in  the  same  attitude  in 
which  she  had  expired,  clothed  in  the  rich  robe  of 
silk  and  gold,  which  she  had  worn  at  the  time  of  her 
martyrdom  ;  and  placed  at  her  feet  the  linen  cloths 
and  veils  with  which  the  faithful  had  collected  her 
precious  blood. 

The  following  night,  her  holy  body  was  carried  to 
the  Appian  Way,  to  the  cemetery  of  Saint  Callistus, 
near  the  third  mile-stone.  Valerian,  Tiburtius  and 
Maximus,  were  buried  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
spot,  but  the  entrance  to  their  tombs  was  upon  the 
left  of  the  Appian  Way. 

To  honor  the  apostalate  which  Cecilia  had  exer- 
cised, Saint  Urban  desired  that  she  should  be  buried 
in  the  enclosure  prepared  by  Saint  Callistus  for  the 
Pontiffs,*  and  in  which  he  had  interred  his  prede- 
cessor, Saint  Zephyrinus.  This  well  merited,  but 
unusual  distinction,  joined  to  the  desire  of  burying 
the  virgin  at  the  spot  where  the  cemetery  of  Saint 
Callistus  turned  towards  that  of  Pretextatus,  in  order 
to  place  her  near  her  husband,  accounts  for  the  fact 
of  all  traces  of  her  sepulchre  having  been  lost,  until 
it  was  discovered  by  means  of  a  revelation.  Thus 
the  goodness  of  God  restored  to  the  Eoman  Church 
the  treasure  which  she  believed  had  been  stolen  from 
her  sacred  Crypts  by  the  hands  of  strangers. 

mentioned  in  the  Acts  :  they  are  gathered  from  a  more   striking 
source,  as  we  shall  mention  later. 

*  Tunc  sanctus  Urbanus  Papa  corpus  ejus  auferens  cum  Dia- 
conibus,  nocte  sepelivit  earn  inter  collegas  suos  Episcopos,  et 
Martyres,  ubi  sanctiConfessores  sunt  collocati.  Acta  S.  Cceciljce 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  131 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MARTYRDOM     OP     ST.      URBAN.       PONTIFICATE     OF   ST.    PONTIANUS. 
DEATH    OF   ALEXANDER   SEVERUS. 

Scarcely  a  month  elapsed  before  Urban  was 
summoned  to  the  tribunal  of  Almachius.  The  Pon- 
tiff had  been  discovered  with  two  priests  and  three 
deacons  in  a  grotto  where  he  had  been  concealed ; 
for  it  had  been  impossible  for  him  to  remain  long  in 
Cecilia's  palace.  The  prefect's  officers,  disconcerted 
at  not  finding  in  the  palace  the  treasures  they  expected, 
and  ignorant  of  Cecilia's  donations  to  the  poor,  accused 
Urban  of  having  received  immense  sums  to  secure  them 
from  confiscation.  Cupidity  rendered  the  search 
more  active,  and  the  Pontiff  was  finally  discovered 
and  arrested. 

11  Is  this,"  said  Almachius,  "  that  Urban,  that 
seducer,  who  has  already  been  twice  condemned,  and 
whom  the  Christians  have  made  their  Pope?"* 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  holy  Pontiff,  "  It  is  I  who  have 
seduced  men  from  the  paths  of  iniquity,  and  have  led 
them  into  the  way  of  truth."f 

"  Is  that  the  way  of  truth,"  retorted  Almachius, 
"  in  which  the  gods  are  not  honored,  nor  the  princes 
obeyed  V>% 

*  Nonne  iste  est  Urbanus  seductor,  qui  jam  semel  et  iterum 
damnatus  est,  quern  Christiani  sibi  Papam  fecerunt  ?  Laderchi 
Acta  S.  Urbani. 

f  Ego  seduco  homines,  ut  viam  iniquitatis  relinquant,  et  ad 
viam  veritatis  deveniant.  Ibid. 

X  0  via  veritatis,  qure  nee  Deos  colit,  nee  Principes  ob  tem- 
po rat.     Ibid, 


132  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

"No,"  said  Urban,  "  I  do  not  honor  your  gods 
any  more  than  I  fear  your  princes.  Do  what  you 
have  to  do."* 

The  venerable  old  man  was  cast  into  prison  with 
his  companions,  and  during  the  night,  some  Christ- 
ians, who  had  bribed  with  gold  the  jailor,  Anolinus, 
came  to  visit  him,  and  to  give  him  proofs  of  their 
filial  veneration. 

St.  Urban,  accompanied  by  his  priests  and  deacons, 
appeared  a  second  time  before  the  prefect.  Al- 
machius  at  first  manifested  a  little  moderation,  the 
result  of  the  uneasiness  which  he  experienced  at  hav- 
ing so  violently  persecuted  the  Christians.  l l  Cease  your 
obstinacy/'  he  said,  "and  sacrifice, to  the  gods.  Al- 
ready five  thousand  men  have  perished  in  conse- 
quence of  your  seductions.f  You  are  responsible 
for  them." 

"  They  have  not  perished  as  you  imagine,  wretched 
man,"  replied  Urban,  "  but  have  ascended  gloriously 
to  the  kingom  of  heaven." 

"Yes,"   said   the   prefect,  "it  was  this  vain   hope 

*  Nee  Deos  tuos  colo,  nee  principes  tuos  timeo ;  fac  quod  fac- 
turus  es.     Acta  S.  UrbanL 

f  The  Acts  of  St.  Urban,  from  which  we  gather  these  details, 
have  not,  doubtless,  the  same  authority  as  those  of  St.  Cecilia, 
but  there  is  a  tone  of  candor  and  truth  throughout  them  which 
does  not  permit  us  to  reject  them  with  disdain,  as  many  critics 
have  done.  The  most  serious  objection  to  them  occurs  in  this 
passage,  as  it  is  incredible  that  5000  persons  should  have  been 
martyred  for  the  faith  in  Rome,  in  so  short  a  time,  and  by  the 
orders  of  a  prefect.  But  this  can  be  easily  explained  as  being 
an  error  of  the  copyist.  The  manuscripts  frequently  passed 
through  so  many  hands  that  mistakes  might  easily  be  made  in 
figures,  and  it  certainly  seems  unjust  to  reject  the  whole  account 
merely  for  a  fault  which  can  be  so  easily  explained. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  133 

which  so  woefully  seduced  Cecilia,  her  husband,  and 
her  brother-in-law  ;  it  was  this  hope  which  made  them 
count  as  nothing  the  brilliant  existence  that  awaited 
them  on  earth.  At  their  death,  they  left  you  immense 
treasures — you  must  restore  them."* 

By  these  words,  the  judge  betrayed  his  cupidity. 
Urban,  disdaining  to  answer  the  accusation,  contented 
himself  with  saying:  "  Foolish  man!  rather  render 
homage  to  your  Creator;  for  those  of  whom  you 
speak,  gave  up  their  lives,  after  distributing  their 
fortunes  to  the  poor."f 

"  Cease  this  audacity  if  you  wish  to  live ;  other- 
wise you  shall  perish." 

"None  can  perish,"  said  Urban,  "  but  those  who 
by  their  faith  or  works,  displease  the  Creator." 

The  prefect  then  addressed  the  two  priests :  "And 
are  you  of  the  same  opinion  ?" 

"All  the  counsels  of  our  Father  are  wise,"  they 
replied ;  "  but  wisdom  will  not  enter  into  a  perverted 
soul.":]: 

"I  see,"  replied  Almachius,  you  are  worse  than 
your  master,  decrepit  and  foolish  as  he  is.  Are  you 
not  ashamed,  miserable  wretches,  to  persevere  in  your 
insolence,  after  so  many  condemnations  ?"§ 

*  Hac  vana  spe  inducta  Csecilia  cum  sponso  suo  et  cognato, 
omnem  gloriam  perdiderunt,  et  immensum  tibi  dimiserunt  thes- 
aurum,  quern  te  nunc  exhibere  oportet.  Ada  S.  Urbani. 

f  Stulte,  agnosce  creatorem  pro  quo  illi  sua  omnia  pauperi- 
sms erogantes,  mori  exoptaverunt.  Ibid. 

\  Patris  nostri  monita  per  omnia  sunt  salubria,  sed  inmalevo- 
lam  animam  non  intrat  sapiential  Ibid. 

§  Ut  video  deteriores  elfecti  estisquam  delirus  senexmagister 
vester  ;  sed  miseri  non  erubescitis,  qui  toties  damnati  prcescrip- 
tionibus  in  impudentia  perduratis.  Ibid. 

13 


134  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

lie  then  commanded  them  to  be  scourged  with 
loaded  whips.  The  order  was  executed  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  the  two  confessors,  during  the  blows,  re- 
peated:  "Lord!  we  thank  Thee." 

Almachius,  enraged  at  their  constancy,  cried  out 
in  a  voice  trembling  with  passion : 

"They  must  be  protected  by  some  enchantment,  or 
they  could  not  still  resist  our  orders." 

"  It  is  you,"  said  Urban,  "  who  have  become  like 
your  gods ;  for  you  have  ears  and  hear  not ;  eyes  and 
see  not."* 

"  What !  do  you  dare  to  insult  the  gods !"  cried  the 
prefect;  "your  head  shall  be  the  forfeit  of  your  au- 
dacity ;  I  swear  it  by  the  gods  and  goddesses." 

"  If  you  wish  to  judge  for  yourself  how  much  re- 
spect the  gods  merit,  read  their  history.  As  to  our 
God,  He  has  created  all  things,  and  He  strengthens 
us  by  these  words :  '  Fear  not  those  who  kill  the 
body,  for  they  cannot  kill  the  soul.'  " 

"I  understand,"  said  Almachius,  "you  are  old, 
and  for  this  reason  you  look  upon  death  as  a  rest ; 
you  are  jealous  of  these  young  men ;  you  persuade 
them  to  sacrifice  their  lives,  because  your  own  is 
nearly  at  an  end." 

One  of  the  priests,  indignant  at  this  outrage,  inter- 
rupted the  prefect :  "  Your  words  are  evident  false- 
hoods," he  said.  "  Our  Father,  from  his  youth,  has 
always  regarded  Jesus  Christ  as  his  life,  and  death 
as  a  gain.  More  than  once  he  has  confessed  Christ, 
and  exposed  his  life  for  the  flock  confided  to  his  care."f 

*  Immo  tu  miser  Diis  tuis  similis  es  effectus,  aures  liabens, 
et  non  audiens,  oculos,  et  non  videns.   Acta  S.  Urbani. 

t  Manifesto   mentiris  ;   patri   enim   nostro,    et   in  juventute 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  135 

Almachius  ordered  the  old  man  and  his  companions 
to  be  re-conducted  to  prison.  Here  they  were  again 
visited  by  the  Christians,  and  the  jailor,  Anolinus, 
was  so  impressed  by  the  veneration  and  homage 
paid  to  the  venerable  old  man,  that  he  was  converted 
to  the  faith,  baptized  by  St.  Urban,  and  soon  after 
paid  with  his  life  the  honor  of  being  enrolled  among 
the  soldiers  of  Christ. 

A  short  time  after,  the  martyrs  were  again  sum- 
moned before  Almachius,  who  ordered  that  they 
should  be  conducted  to  the  Pagus  Triopius,  where  he 
hoped  they  would  consent  to  offer  incense  to  the  idol 
of  Jupiter.*  A  critic  of  our  day,  has  remarked  with 
some  reason,  that  the  prefect's  motive  in  choosing  a 
Pagus  of  the  Appian  Way  for  the  holy  Pontiffs 
trial,  was  to  give  greater  publicity  to  his  apostasy, 
if  he  abjured  Christianity  so  near  the  place  where  he 
had  exercised  his  ministry ;  or  more  solemnity  to  his 
execution,  should  he  refuse  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods, 
in  a  region  so  frequented  by  the  Christians.! 

The  Confessors  rejected  with  horror  the  proposal 
that  they  should  offer  incense  to  the  idols,  and  were, 
in  consequence,  so  cruelly  beaten,  that  Lucian,  one 
of  the  deacons,  expired  under  the  blows  of  the  execu- 
tioner. Finally,  on  the  eighth  of  the  calends  of  June, 
three  days  later,  Almachius  sent  the  confessors  to  a 
temple  of  Diana,  %  ordering  the   soldiers  to   behead 

Christus  vivere  fuit,  et  mori  lucrum  ;  multoties  quippo  pro  eo 
Confessor  effectus,  animam  suam  pro  ejus  ovibus  posuit.    Ibid, 

*  Ducite  eos  ad  templum  juxta  Pagum,  et  vol  saorinoent  Deo 
inagno  Jovi,  vel  multiplicibus  macerentur  supplieiis.  Acta  S. 
Urbani. 

\  Riccy.  Dell'  antico  pago  Leinonio.  Rome,  1802,  page  104. 

J  The  Acts  of  St.    Urban  do  not  specify   the  locality  of  this 


136      .  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

them  if  they  refused  to  offer  sacrifice.  On  the  way, 
Urban  thus  exhorted  his  companions:  "It  is  the 
Lord  who  calls  us ;  He  who  has  said :  c  Come  to  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  burdened,  and  I  will  refresh 
you.'  Until  now,  we  have  known  the  Lord  only  as 
in  a  glass,  and  as  an  enigma ;  behold  the  moment 
when  we  go  to  see  Him  face  to  face.7'* 

When  they  entered  the  temple,  the  martyrs  said  to 
the  executioners:  "Finish  your  work.  It  is  useless 
to  propose  to  us  an  action  which  you  know  we  scorn." 
They  insisted,  however  ;  and  upon  the  martyrs'  re- 
fusal, led  them  out  of  the  temple  and  beheaded  them. 
Fabian,  Callistus,  and  Ammonius,  three  Christian 
tribunes,  who  had  visited  the  Pontiff*  in  prison,  caused 
the  bodies  of  the  martyrs  to  be  carried  to  the  ceme- 
tery of  Pretextatus.f 

A  more  honorable  sepulture  was  reserved  for  St. 
Urban,  in  return  for  that  which  in  his  paternal  ten- 
derness he  had  prepared  for  Cecilia.  Marmenia,  the 
wife  of  the  prefect's  Vicar,  had  embraced  Christi- 
anity immediately  after  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Urban. 
Having  learned  through  the  priest,  Fortunatus,  who 
had  baptized  her,  the  place  where  the  bodies  of  St. 
Urban  and  his  companions  had  been  deposited,  she 

temple  ;  it  may  have  been  in  the  interior  of  the  city.  Had  it 
been  on  the  Nomentana  road,  as  we  conjectured  in  our  first 
edition,  in  consequence  of  some  remarks,  in  the  martyrology 
attributed  to  St.  Jerome,  it  is  probable  the  Acts  would  not  have 
omitted  to  mention  the  circumstance. 

*  Ecce  nos  Dominus  vocat  inquiens  :  Venite  ad  me  omnes  qui- 
laboratis  et  onerati  estis,  et  ego  reficiam  vos.  Hactenus  eum  vide 
mus  quasi  per  speculum,  et  in  aenigmate  ;  prcesto  autem  est,  ut 
videamus  eum  facie  ad  faciem.  Acta  S.  Urbani. 

t  Acta  S.   Urbani. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  137 

caused  these  sacred  remains  to  be  removed  to  her 
villa,  which  was  situated  upon  the  left  side  of  the 
Appian  Way,  near  a  villa  built  by  Vespasian,  above 
the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus,  not  far  from  the  tombs 
of  Valerian,  Tiburtius  and  Maximus.  She  ordered  a 
crypt  to  be  excavated,  in  which  she  placed  a  sepul- 
chre, closed  by  a  slab  of  precious  marble,  the  interior 
of  the  tomb  being  also  lined  with  marble.  Here, 
Marmenia  placed  the  bodies  of  St.  Urban  and  his 
companions,  after  anointing  them  with  perfumes. 
This  crypt  was  afterwards  enlarged,  and  converted 
into  a  vast  cubiculum,  solidly  built,  and  of  quad- 
rangular dimensions.*  In  one  of  the  manuscripts  of 
the  Acts  of  St.  Urban,  this  cubiculum  is  described 
as  being  situated  in  the  upper  story  of  the  Catacombs.f 

St.  Urban  had  occupied  the  Holy  See  eight  years, 
eleven  months  and  twelve  days.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Pontianus,  who  governed  in  peace  for  several 
years.  The  return  of  Alexander  Severus  restored 
tranquillity  to  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  at  least  the 
violence  of  Alrnachius  does  not  seem  to  have  been 

*  Levaverunt  hide  cum  magno  honore  glebas  almas,  et  addux- 
erunt  eas  in  domum  Marmenia,  quae  erat  extra  palatium  Vespa- 
siani  Augusti,  sita  prope  columnas,  in  qua  sepulcrum  B.  Mar- 
menia miro  jussit  mode-  poni :  quod  etiam  marmoreis  tabulis  ex 
omni  parte  conglutinans  contexit  parietem,  in  quo  recondiderunt 
cum  aromatibus  corpus  Beatissimi  Urbani  et  Mamiliani  Fresby- 
teri,  et  desuper  sacrum  tumulum  miro  lapide  operiri  curave- 
runt :  super  quod  ingens  antrum  fabricari  fecerunt,  quadratum 
et  iirmissimae  fabrics),  etc.   Acta  S.  Urbani, 

f  Corpus  autem  B.  Urbani  Papa?  et  Martyris,  ibidem  in  supe- 
riori  camaculo  condiderunt.  Acta  SS,  Mali,  ad  dium  xxv.  page 
13.  This  circumstance  is  also  found  in  an  ancient  manuscript 
of  the  Vatican  Basilica  from  which  Laderchi  has  extracted 
abridged  Acts  of  St.  Urban. 

13* 


138  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

■» 

prolonged  beyond  this  epoch.  The  impressions  of 
the  Emperor  when  he  was  made  acquainted  with 
the  prefect's  conduct,  are  not  known.  The  histo- 
rians of  Alexander  were  little  interested  in  the 
Christians,  and,  moreover,  they  generally  passed 
over  in  silence  facts  which  merely  referred  to  the 
magistrates.  It  is  to  be  supposed  that  this  prince, 
who  detested  cruelty,  blamed  the  excesses  of  the 
prefect,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  expressed  in 
any  other  way  his  displeasure  at  the  judicial  murder 
of  Cecilia  and  the  two  patricians.  However  this 
may  have  been,  the  system  followed  under  the  reign 
of  Alexander  with  regard  to  the  sovereign  Pontiffs, 
was  soon  carried  out  in  the  case  of  Pontianus.  This 
saintly  Pope  had  to  suffer  persecution  on  account  of 
his  ministry;  he  was  not  condemned  to  death,  like 
his  predecessors,  Sts.  Urban  and  Callistus,  but  an 
order  emanating  from  the  imperial  court,  exiled  him 
to  the  isle  of  Buccinia,*  one  of  the  wildest  on  the 
southern  coast  of  Sardinia. 

Alexander  did  not  long  survive  this  act  of  injustice. 
How  frequently  we  see  in  history,  and  even  in  our 
own  day,  the  judgments  of  God  visited  upon  princes 
who  seemed  personally  favorable  to  His  church, 
but  who,  forgetful  of  the  future,  and  of  justice, 
neglected  to  break  the  chains  which  others  had  forged 
for  the  Spouse  of  Christ.  These  princes  thought 
that  in  lightening  her  fetters,  they  had  fulfilled  their 
duty.  They  did  not  foresee  that,  after  their  death, 
those  chains  would  be  riveted  more  firmly  than 
ever  upon  that  Church  which  they  ought  not  only 
*  Anastas.     in  Pontiano. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  139 

to  have  loved  and  venerated  as  Christians,  but  to 
have  protected  and  delivered  as  kings. 

Alexander  had  scarcely  entered  upon  the  thirteenth 
year  of  his  reign,  and  the  twenty  sixth  of  his  age, 
when  he  was  assassinated  at  Mayence  by  his  own 
soldiers,  leaving  the  empire  to  Julius  Verus  Maxi- 
minus,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  his  army.  This  man  is 
suspected  of  having  been  the  author  of  the  sedition 
in  which  the  unfortunate  prince  and  his  Mother, 
Julia  Mammaea,  lost  their  lives. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ZEAL  OF  THE  ROMANS  PONTIFFS  IN  COLLECTING  THE  ACTS  OF  THE 
MARTYRS.  THE  MEMORY  OF  ST.  CECILIA  PRESERVED  IN  THE  CHURCH 
OF  ROME.    HER  BASILICA. 

Maximinus,  upon  his  accession  to  the  imperial 
throne,  manifested  a  bitter  hostility  against  the  Chris- 
tians. The  persecution,  which  had  been  suspended 
since  the  reign  of  Septimus  Se  verus,  was  renewed  with 
the  greatest  violence.  The  new  Emperor  directed 
his  decrees  in  a  special  manner  against  the  heads  of 
the  Church  j*  and  singled  out  the  Pontiff  of  Rome  as 
his  first  victim.  An  order  was  immediately  dispatched 
to  the  island  of  Buccina,  commanding  the  execution 
of  the  courageous  pastor  whose  absence  had  been 
so  severely  felt  by  the  Roman  Church.  Pontianus 
had  occupied  the  Holy  See,  two  months  and  seven 
days.  His  body  was  afterwards  transported  to  Rome 
and  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus.f    Anterus 

*  Eusob.  t  Amastas.  in  Pontiano, 


140  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

succeeded  Pontianus  upon  the  apostolic  chair;  but 
lie  had  scarcely  governed  the  Church  one  month  when 
he  was  beheaded  by  order  of  Maximinus,  and  thus 
obtained  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  A  fact,  connected 
with  the  short  pontificate  of  Anterus,  is  of  some  im- 
portance in  relation  to  the  history  of  Cecilia.  In  the 
first  ages,  under  the  persecution  of  Domitian,  the 
great  Pontiff,  St.  Clement,  wishing  to  preserve  for 
future  ages  an  account  of  the  triumphs  of  the  Martyrs, 
had  appointed  seven  notaries  whose  duty  it  was  to 
commit  to  writing  all  the  circumstances,  accompany- 
ing the  generous  sacrifice  of  these  athletes  of  the  faith. 
Each  notary  was  appointed  overseer  of  two  of  the 
fourteen  regions  of  Kome.*  The  glorious  memoirs 
they  had  the  charge  of  collecting,  must  have  considera- 
bly increased  both  in  number  and  importance,  during 
the  persecutions  of  Trajan,  Antoninus,  Marcus  Aure- 
lius,  and  Severus.  We  have  seen  what  sublime 
pages  were  furnished  to  the  collection,  through  the 
tyranny  of  Almachius,  in  the  reign  of  Alexander 
Severus.  The  holy  Pope  A  nterus  made  a  compilation 
of  the  acts  collected  by  the  Notaries  of  the  Church, 
in  order  to  preserve  them  in  the  Archives  of  the 
Apostolic  See.  A  fresco  painted  on  the  ceiling  of  a 
cubiculum  in  the  cemetery  of  Sts.  Nereus  and  Achilles, 
joining  that  of  St.  Callistus,  seems  to  have  been  de- 
signed for  the  purpose  of  handing  down  to  posterity 
the  remembrance  of  this  wise  measure  of  Anterus. 
A  venerable  old  man  is  represented  seated  upon  an 
estrade,  between  two  ministers,  who  are  standing  on 

*  Hie  fecit  septem  Regiones  dividi  Notariis  fidelibus  Ecclesioe, 
qui  gesta  martyrum  sollicite  et  curiose  unusquisque  per  Regio- 
nein  suain  diligenter  perquirerent.     Anastas  in  Clemente. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  141 

either  side.  His  hands  are  raised  in  the  act  of  bless- 
ing three  other  persons,  one  of  whom  is  kneeling,  the 
other  two  in  an  attitude  of  profound  veneration. 
They  have  just  placed  at  his  feet  a  round  box  filled 
with  rolls  of  parchment.  Boxes  containing  similar 
rolls  of  parchment,  are  very  frequently  seen  in  the 
wrall  paintings  of  the  Roman  cemeteries.  The  learned 
archaeologist,  F.  Bianchini,  whose  opinion  is  of  great 
weight,  thinks  that  this  fresco  was  designed  as  a 
memento  of  the  holy  PopeV*  zeal  in  collecting  the 
Acts  of  the  Martyrs;  however  this  may  be,  the 
fresco  painting  is  of  an  elegant  and  correct  style,  and 
was  most  probably  executed  in  the  third  century. 

The  Christians  of  this  period,  who  were  so  in- 
terested in  preserving  mementos  of  all  that  related 
to  faith,  must  have  been  anxious  to  perpetuate  the 
remembrance  of  the  holy  pontiffs  zeal  in  gathering 
the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs ;  the  more  so,  as  he  received 
the  palm  of  martyrdom  in  reward  for  the  labor  by 
which  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Archives  of  the 
Church.  Anterus  was  denounced  before  the  prefect 
as  one  who  honored  the  memory  of  the  enemies  of 
the  empire  and  of  the  gods,  and  he  expiated  with 
his  blood,  the  crime  of  having  generously  opposed 
the  policy  of  the  Caesars.f  His  body  was  buried  in 
the  Cemetery  of  Callistus. 

The  pious  Fabian,  successor  of  Anterus,  was  not 
less  zealous  for  the  glory  of  God.     He  commanded 

*  Anastasii  Bibliothecarii  de  vitis  Pontificum,  in  Antero  notce 
historical.  Tom.  i.  p.  184. 

f  Hie  gesta  Martyrum  diligenter  a  Notarns  exquisivit,  ot  in 
Ecclesia  recondidit.  Propter  quod  a  Maximo  Praefecto  martyrio 
coronatus  est.     Anastas,  in  Antero, 


142  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

that  the  seven  notaries  should  each  be  assisted  by  a 
sub-deacon,  who  should  aid  him  in  compiling  the 
Acts  of  the  Martyrs.*  The  same  desire  of  rendering 
homage  to  these  noble  victims,  among  whom  he  him- 
self was  ranked  after  a  pontificate  of  fourteen  years, 
led  him  to  undertake  the  great  works  in  the  ceme- 
teries.f  He  caused  several  additional  galleries  to 
be  excavated,  and  many  new  frescos  to  be  painted. 
It  was  but  natural  he  should  wish  that  one  of  these 
frescos  should  represent  the  zeal  shown  by  his  prede- 
cessor in  transmitting  to  posterity  the  remembrance 
of  the  trials,  endured  by  the  innumerable  heroes  who 
slept  in  these  gloomy  vaults. 

The  age  in  which  Cecilia  lived,  was  prolific  in 
reliable  historians,  who  faithfully  gathered  such 
precious  reminiscences,  and  the  Supreme  Pontiff  did 
not  feel  that  he  was  lowering  his  dignity  by  care- 
fully superintending  the  compilation  of  the  Acts,  so 
that  even  the  slightest  circumstance  might  not  be 
omitted.  Moreover,  it  was  a  discipline  established 
in  the  church  from  the  time  of  the  first  persecutions, 
to  write  the  circumstances  attending  the  combats  of 
the  martyrs,  and,  notwithstanding  the  immense 
losses  we  have  sustained  by  the  ravages  of  time,  and 
by  other  accidents,  the  authentic  Acts  which  are 
still  extant  throughout  all  parts,  both  of  the  Eastern 
and  Western  Church,  suffice  to  prove  that  the  inten- 
tions of  Popes  Clement,  Anterus,  and  Fabian,  were 
understood  and  carried  out  throughout  Christendom. 

*  Fecit  septem  subdiaconos  qui  septem  Notariis  imminerent, 
ut  gesta  Martyrum  in  integro  colligerent.  Anastas.  in  Fabiano, 
f  Multas  fabricas  per  ccemeteria  fieri  prsecepit.  Ibid, 


*  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  143 

We  will  particularly  quote  the  following  words 
of  the  deacon,  Pontius,  in  the  life  of  his  bishop,  St. 
Cyprian,  written  at  the  death  of  this  great  martyr, 
twenty-eight  years  after  the  death  of  St.  Cecilia : 
"  Such  was,"  says  this  author,  "  the  veneration  of  our 
ancestors  for  the  martyrs,  whether  baptized  or  cate- 
chumens, that  they  have  committed  to  writing  nearly 
all  the  details  respecting  the  sufferings  they  endured, 
so  that  these  accounts  have  been  transmitted  to  us, 
who  were  not  then  even  born."* 

If  such  was  the  case  in  a  simple  province  of  the 
Church,  the  measures  organized  by  the  sovereign 
Pontiff,  in  the  centre  of  Christianity,  must  have 
resulted  in  the  most  authentic  and  imposing  Acts 
concerning  the  martyrs.  Add  to  this,  that  many 
Acts  which  have  been  transmitted  to  us,  refer  to 
persons  of  secondary  importance,  and  yet  the  most 
precise  account  is  given  of  every  circumstance  attend- 
ing the  martyrdom ;  the  interrogations,  the  replies, 
the  torments,  the  miracles,  and  the  sepultures.  The 
noble  birth  of  Cecilia,  Valerian  and  Tiburtius ;  the 
impression  which  such  a  tragedy  must  naturally 
have  created  among  the  Gentiles,  as  well  as  among 
the  Christians,  rendered  the  compilation  of  their 
Acts  an  easy  matter.  Even  in  the  absence  of  the 
notaries  of  the  Church,  the  faithful  would  have  re- 
tained for  along  time,  the  greater  part  of  the  details. 

*  Cum  majores  nostri  plebeiis  et  catecliumenis  martyrium 
consecutis  tantum  honoris  pro  martyrii  ipsius  venoratione  dede- 
rint,  de  passionibus  eoruin  multa,  aut  prope  dixcrim  pen6 
cuncta  conscri-pserunt,  ut  ad  nostram  quoque  notitiam  qui  non- 
duin  nati  fuimus  pervenirent.  Pontius  diaconus,  in  vita  Cacilii 
Cypriani. 


144  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

We  cannot,  therefore,  doubt  that  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia  were  written  at  a  time  when  there  was  every 
facility  of  authenticating  the  facts.  Divine  Provi- 
dence, who  wished  to  give  Eome  a  Christian  Ceci- 
lia in  place  of  that  matron  of  ancient  times,  whose 
fame  was  not  destined  to  survive  the  Capitol,  took 
care  that  the  memory  of  our  Saint  should  be  pre- 
served and  become  more  glorious  from  age  to  age. 

After  the  persecution  of  Maximin,  the  Church  was 
called  to  suffer  those  of  Decius,  Valerian,  Gallienus, 
Aurelian,  and  finally  the  most  terrible  of  all,  that  of 
Diocletian.  The  number  of  martyrs  increased  to  a 
frightful  extent,  but  none  of  these  new  and  illustrious 
names  eclipsed  that  of  Cecilia.  In  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, when  the  Diptych  of  the  Canon  of  the  Mass  was 
closed  to  be  opened  but  once  more,  Cecilia's  name  was 
retained  therein,  and  the  greatest  honor  which  the 
Church  can  bestow,  was  thus  secured  to  her  forever. 

From  her  throne  in  heaven,  she  hears  her  name 
daily  pronounced  in  the  silent  prayers  which  accom- 
pany the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice ;  and  her 
blood,  once  shed  for  Christ,  is  presented  before  the 
throne  of  God  with  that  of  the  Spotless  Lamb,  to  whom 
she  is  forever  united,  amidst  the  roses  and  lilies  of 
paradise. 

Thus  after  the  persecutions,  the  Eoman  Church 
awarded  to  Cecilia  an  honor  granted  to  but  few  of 
those  who  had  been  her  glory  during  those  times  of 
trial.  Out  of  the  thirty  Popes,  martyrs,  six  only  were 
commemorated  on  the  immortal  Diptych ;  the  daughter 
of  the  Cecilii  was  preferred  to  so  many  heroes.  The 
Virgin  Agnes,  her  rival  in  the  love  of  Christ,  pre- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  145 

cedes  her  upon  this  triumphal  list ;  the  pious  widow 
Anastasia  follows  her ;  all  three  daughters  of  the 
Roman  Church.  In  the  sixth  century,  St.  Gregory 
added  the  names  of  the  two  Virgin  Martyrs  of  Catania 
and  Syracuse,  Agatha  and  Lucy  ;  but  thrcnigh  liturgi- 
cal courtesy,  he  gave  the  precedence  to  the  two 
Eoman  Virgins.* 

The  tenth  of  the  Calends  of  December  (22  Nov.) 
was  appointed  for  the  feast  of  St.  Cecilia  in  the  earliest 
ages,  as  we  find  in  the  Martyrology  attributed  to  St. 
Jerome.f  The  holy  martyrs,  Valerian,  Tiburtius, 
and  Maximus,  continued  to  be  venerated  on  the 
eighteenth  of  the  Calends  of  May  (14  April),  and  St. 
Urban  on  the  eighth  of  the  Calends  of  June  (25  May), 
the  respective  anniversaries  of  their  martyrdom .  That 
of  Cecilia  took  place  between  these  two  epochs.  But 
the  feasts  of  the  Ascension  and  of  Pentecost  were 
celebrated  at  this  season,  and  sometimes  fell  on  the 
anniversary  of  the  holy  Virgin's  death.  It  was  there- 
fore resolved  to  honor  her  memory  on  another  day, 
that  nothing  might  interfere  with  the  solemnity  of  her 

*  Many  liturgists  maintain  that  St.  Gregory  at  the  same  time 
inserted  in  the  canon  the  names  of  all  the  female  Saints  fonnd 
therein.  The  only  author  who  speaks  of  the  addition  made  by 
St.  Gregory  to  the  Diptych  contained  in  the  prayer,  Nobis  quo- 
qne  peccatoribus,  is  St.  Adhelmar  of  Sherbum,  whose  words  are 
very  clear,  and  who  speaks  but  of  Saints  Agatha  and  Lucy  as 
having  been  added  to  the  others.  Vid.  S.  Adhelmi  Episcopi 
Saxonum  occidentalium  de  Virginitate,  cap.  xxiii.  Bibblioth,  vet. 
Patrum,  tome  xiii.,  page  44.  The  author,  speaking  of  St.  Cecilia 
and  Agnes,  gives  no  reason  to  suppose  that  their  names  had 
been  recently  added,  which  he  distinctly  states  of  the  two  Sicilian 
martyrs. 

f  Florentini,  Martyrologium  S.  Hieronymi.  X,  KaL  Decembris. 


146  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

festival.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  why  the  Church 
selected  the  22d  of  November*  Probably  the  re- 
building of  Cecilia's  house,  under  a  form  more  ap- 
propriate for  a  church,  or  its  dedication  in  the  fourth 
or  fifth  century,  may  have  been  the  occasion  of  trans- 
ferring the  feast  of  its  holy  Patroness  to  a  day  so  much 
later  than  that  of  her  martyrdom.  The  importance 
and  solemnity  of  St.  Cecilia's  feast  at  Eome  in  the 
fifth  century,  are  attested  by  the  sacramentary  of  St. 
Gelasius,  which  was  drawn  up  at  this  period.  The 
feast  is  preceded  by  a  preparatory  Vigil.f  St.  Cecilia 
shares  with  St.  Lawrence  this  honor,  which  St.  Se- 
bastian and  St.  Agnes,  although  so  famous  in  the 
Archives  of  the  mother  Church,  do  not  seem  to 
have  obtained.  It  is  true  that  the  feast  of  St.  Ce- 
cilia no  longer  enjoys  this  distinction ;  but  this  testi- 
mony of  the  veneration  of  earlier  times  towards  the 
Saint  is  sufficient  to  show  how  vividly  the  memory 
of  her  virtues  was  retained  among  the  Christians  even 
at  the  end  of  the  fifth  century,  when  her  acts  were 
compiled  for  the  last  time. 

The  Church  which  was  erected  beyond  the  Tiber 
under  the  name  of  St.  Cecilia,  likewise  bore  witness 
to  the  magnificent  reminiscences  we  have  retraced. 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  the  Roman  Martyrology  of  the  22d  of 
November,  neither  mentions  the  death  (Natalis)  nor  the  burial 
(Depositio)  of  St.  Cecilia.  We  simply  read  Romae.  sanctae  Caeci- 
liae,  Virginis  et  Martyris,  quae  sponsum  suum  Valerianum,  etc. 
The  23d  thus  mentions  the  feast  of  St.  Clement,  Natalis  sancti 
Clementis  Papae.  On  the  14th  of  April,  Saints  Tiburtius,  Valerian, 
and  Maximus,  are  announced  by  the  Natalis,  as  well  as  St.  Urban 
on  the  25th  of  May. 

t  Muratori.  Liturgia  Ilomana  vetus,  tome  i.  Sacramentarium 
Gelasianum,  page  672. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  147 

It  is  well  known  that  when  the  churches  erected  in 
honor  of  the  Eoman  Martyrs,  in  the  capital  of  Chris- 
tendom, did  not  contain  their  relics,  or  were  not  built 
at  the  entrance  of  the  cemeteries  where  the  bodies  of 
their  patrons  reposed,  they  served  to  mark  the  places 
sanctified  by  the  martyr's  life  and  sufferings.  This 
custom  was  not  observed  merely  in  Eome,  it  was  estab- 
lished as  a  point  of  discipline  in  the  African  church 
by  the  fourteenth  canon  of  the  fourth  council  of  Carth- 
age, in  398,*  which  canon  is  even  inserted  in  the 
digest  of  ecclesiastical  laws.f  Later,  this  discipline 
was  modified ;  but  it  was  still  kept  up  in  Eome  for 
many  centuries.  This  accounts  for  the  small  number 
of  churches  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  although  he  was 
patron  of  the  city.  Four  churches  only  were  dedicated 
to  him,  and  these  are  all  monuments  of  his  life ;  the 
Vatican,  which  preserves  his  body  ;  that  of  St.  Peter 
ad  Vincula,  where  his  chains  are  kept ;  the  Mamertine 
Prison,  or  St.  Peter  in  Carcere,  which  is  built  over 
the  dungeon  where  he  was  confined  with  St.  Paul ; 
and  finally,  St.  Peter  in  Montorio,  upon  the  ground 
where  it  is  presumed  he  was  crucified.  The  body  of 
our  glorious  martyr  reposed  many  centuries  in  the 
cemetery  of  Callistus,  out  of  the  city,  upon  the  Appian 
Way.  In  order  to  explain  the  origin  of  the  trans- 
Tiberian  Church,  which  bore  the  name  of  St.  Cecilia, 
we  must  naturally  refer  to  the  house  which  Cecilia 
confided  at  her  death  to  the  Pontiff  Urban.  The 
bathroom  where  she  suffered  martyrdom    is  still  visi- 

*  Et  onmino  nulla  memoria  Martyrum  probabiliter  acceptctur, 
nisi  aut  ibi  corpus,  aut  aliquoe  oertffl  reliquiae  shit,  aut  ubi  origo 
alicujus  hnbitationis,  vol  possessions,  vol  passionis,  fidelissima 
origine  traditur.      Labbe.  Concilia,  tome  ii,  page  1218. 

\  De  consecratione.    Distinct,  i,  can.  xxvi.     IHacuit  ut  altar ia. 


148  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

ble,  and  the  memory  of  St.  Ceoilia  so  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  this  Church  could  never  be  lost  in  Kome."* 

The  first  mention  we  find  of  the  Church  of  St. 
Cecilia  in  the  official  documents  which  have  reached 
us,  dates  back  to  the  year  499.  Among  the  signa- 
tures of  a  council  held  in  Eome  in  that  year,  under 
Pope  Symmachus,  are  those  of  Boniface  and  Marcian, 
who  sign  themselves  priests  of  St.  Cecilia's  Church.f 

But  even  before  this  time,  many  epigraphical  monu- 
ments prove  the  existence  of  this  church,  and  the 
veneration  paid  in  it  to  the  Eoman  Virgin.  An 
inscription,  unfortunately  mutilated,  which  was  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  last  century,  in  the  pavement  of 
the  Church,  contained  a  consular  date,  which  could 
scarcely  be  later  than  the  year  464.  The  following 
is  the  inscription,  for  the  restoration  of  which  we  are 
indebted  to  the  science  and  friendship  of  M.  le  Che- 
valier de  Eossi : 

ApolhOmAE  H.  P.  BONITATIS  EXIMIAE 

et  mirae  verecurWlA.'E  ET  VLTRA  aetatis  ANKOS 

filiae  (isr.  N.)  c^&iCVLARlS  sanctae  martyris  CAE 

ciliae  q.  vix.  ann.  XII.  MENSE.  I.  DIEB.  XIII. 

de  ssecvlo  reCESSiT  x vim  kal  sept. 

RIO  COSS. 
parentes  wniseri  /^NERIS  ACERVITATE  PERCVLSI 
tituhim CI  IVSSERVNT.4 

*  Among  the  Churches  of  Rome,  erected  like  that  of  St.  Ce- 
cilia, upon  the  ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  dwellings  of 
their  patrons,  we  will  cite  those  of  St.  Praxedes,  of  St.  Boniface, 
now  St.  Alexis,  upon  the  Aventine  ;  of  Saints  John  and  Paul ; 
of  St.  Eusebius  ;  of  St.  Prisca  ;     of  St.  Bibiana,  etc. 

t  Labbe.  Concil.  Tome  iv,  page  1316. 

X  This  inscription  has  been  inaccurately  given  by  Mallei,  Mu- 
sceum  Verononse,  page  291,  IN'0  6. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  149 

We  learn  by  this  epitaph  that  a  private  individual, 
exercising  the  functions  of  cubicularis,  or  guardian 
of  St.  Cecilia's  Church,  had  buried  his  daughter  in 
this  place,  under  the  date  of  a  consul  whose  name 
terminates  with  these  two  syllables;  EI  VS.  The 
writing  of  this  inscription  being  evidently  of  the 
V.  century,  and  the  VT.  presenting  no  consul  whose 
name  terminates  with  the  given  syllables,  we  must 
seek  in  the  V.  the  person  designated.  Now, 
here  we  find  several  consulates  which  might  answer 
our  purpose.  The  most  recent  is  that  of  Eusticus 
Olybrius  in  the  year  461.  In  preferring  this  one  to 
others  of  more  ancient  date,  we  confirm  the  opinion 
that  from  the  year  464,  under  the  pontificate  of  St. 
Hilarius,  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  was  sufficiently 
important  to  require  the  services  of  cubiculares. 

In  the  last  century,  there  still  existed  in  the  pave- 
ment, a  number  of  inscriptions,  either  whole  or  in  frag- 
ments, which  would  be  very  useful  now  in  tracing 
the  historyof  this  venerable  Sanctuary. 

Later,  we  will  mention  under  what  circumstances 
these  valuable  records  of  antiquity  were  destroyed. 
But  we  must  mention  one  slab  found  in  the  pave- 
ment of  the  portico,  the  inscriptions  on  which,  relating 
to  a  young  girl  named  Thecla,  might,  according  to 
the  opinion  of  our  learned  friend,  be  referred  to  the 
IV.  century. 


13* 


150  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

COMPILATION  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  SAINT  CECILIA,  IN  THE  V.  CENTURY,  IN 
THEIR  PRESENT  FORM.  MOTIVES  OF  THIS  COMPILATION.  CANON 
OF  POPE  ST.  GELASIUS  UPON  THE  USE  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  MARTYRS. 

As  we  have  already  stated,  we  cannot  assign  an 
earlier  date  than  the  V.  century,  to  the  definitive 
compilation  of  the  Acts  of  our  Saint.  The  defective 
Latin  of  this  document,  does  not  permit  us  to  place 
it  at  an  earlier  date ;  and,  besides,  the  use  immediately 
made  of  it,  by  all  the  Churches  of  the  West,  is  a 
positive  proof  that  it  was  not  written  at  a  later  period. 

These  Acts  must  be  classed  among  those  which 
were  compiled  from  ancient  memorials,  after  the  close 
of  the  persecutions.  The  author  wished  to  unite  in 
a  simple  narrative,  the  different  circumstances  of  St. 
Cecilia's  life,  which  he  had  been  enabled  to  gather, 
either  from  the  Acts  collected  by  the  Notaries  of  the 
Church  ;  or  from  other  records  which  must  have  been 
abundant  in  a  city  where  the  holy  Martyr  was  so 
highly  venerated;  or,  finally,  from  oral  traditions 
and  metaphorical  monuments.  ■  His  story  begins  -at 
the  preparation  for  the  marriage  of  Cecilia  and  Ti- 
burtius,  and  ends  with  the  Virgin's  death  and  burial. 
It  is  very  evident  that  the  author  endeavored  to  make 
his  work  uniform  throughout,  and  that  he  blended 
in  his  recital  all  the  documents  which  were  at  his 
disposal.  His  language  is  naive,  and  his  style  such 
as  is  remarked  in  the  series  of  Acts  of  the  Martyrs, 
which  begins  at  the  IV.  century  ;  numerous  examples 
of  which  are  published  in  the  collection  of  Dom  Bain- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  151 

art.  In  these  compositions,  the  Latin  language  is  so 
altered  that  it  is  easy  to  see  it  was  on  the  eve  of 
ceasing  to  be  the  vulgar  tongue.  Our  Acts,  however, 
are  not  written  in  the  barbarous  style,  used  in  the 
Papal  Chronicle,  known  under  the  name  of  the  Cata- 
logue of  Felix  IV.,  and  which  stops  at  the  year  534* 

Besides  we  must  not  suppose  that  during  the  two 
centuries  preceding  the  reign  of  Constantine,  the 
Latin  language  was  written  and  spoken  in  Eome 
with  the  purity  and  accuracy  found  among  the  clas- 
sics of  this  period,  the  tradition  of  which  St.  Ambrose, 
St.  Jerome,  and  St.  Augustin,  made  every  effort  to 
preserve.  The  greater  part  of  the  Christian  inscrip- 
tions in  the  Catacombs,  even  those  on  profane  monu- 
ments, previous  to  the  IV.  century,  prove  that  the 
language  of  the  masters  of  the  world  was  far  from 
being  universally  spoken  and  written  correctly,  even 
in  the  capital  of  the  empire. 

The  neglect  of  the  rules  of  grammar  and  of  rheto- 
ric, which  characterizes  the  decline  of  a  nation,  is 
very  visible  in  the  Acts  of  the  martyrs  compiled  at 
this  period ;  in  fact,  the  writers  seem  to  have  affected 
unusual  carelessness  of  style.  The  transpositions  of 
phrase  disappear,  the  language  becomes  more  simple ; 
the  biblical  narrations  are  imitated  with  minute  exact- 
ness, and  more  or  less  success ;  the  expressions  used 
in  the  Italic  version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  intro- 
duced with  eagerness,  and  frequently  impart  anima- 
tion to  the  recital.  Such  is  the  literary  character  of 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.     If  the  narrative  be  found 

*  Sec  the  text  of  this  Chronicle  in  the  work  entitled  :  Originea 
de  l'Eglise  Romaine,  torn  i,  pages  212,  248. 


152  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

very  interesting,  the  credit  is  not  due  to  the  style  in 
which  it  is  related  ;  although  the  tone  of  candor  which 
reigns  throughout,  is  a  powerful  proof  of  the  sincerity 
of  the  author,  and  even  in  those  passages  which  are 
evidently  written  for  effect,  we  can  easily  trace  the 
original  Acts.  These  rhetorical  attempts  merely 
prove  that  the  genius  of  the  compiler  was  not 
equal  to  the  conception  of  a  drama,  so  sublime  and 
so  touching,  as  the  one  to  which  he  has  consecra- 
ted his  feeble  talent.  We  may  assuredly  affirm  that 
the  admirable  discourse  of  St.  Cecilia  to  Tiburtius 
was  not  composed  by  the  narrator,  who  has  given  it 
to  us  in  his  rude  and  inelegant  diction  which  almost 
conceals  its  original  beauty. 

We  shall  have  many  occasions  in  the  course  of 
our  story,  to  demonstrate  the  accuracy  of  our  histo- 
rian, and  to  defend  his  narrative  from  the  imputa- 
tions cast  upon  it  by  the  Jansenists.  Let  it  suffice 
to  observe  here,  that  the  author  wrote  under  the 
eyes  of  his  fellow  citizens  ;  that  he  was  not  relating 
the  life  of  an  obscure  person,  about  whom  he  could 
have  invented  many  circumstances  without  being 
liable  to  contradiction ;  finally,  that  his  recital  was 
almost  universally  accepted  throughout  the  Churches 
of  the  West.  The  presumption  consequently  would 
be  in  his  favor,  even  had  we  not  the  most  distinct 
and  evident  proofs  of  his  veracity.  The  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia,  like  those  of  many  others,  were  composed  to 
be  read  from  the  Ambon,  in  the  church  dedicated  to 
the  Saint,  on  the  day  of  her  feast.  This  public  read- 
ing being  intended  to  increase  the  solemnity,  it  was 
necessary  to  make  a  complete  and  uniform  narration 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  153 

of  every  thing  contained  in  the  documents  of  the 
Eoman  Church,  relating  to  the  martyr.  Hence  the 
monotonous  style,  and  the  oratorical  velleities  of 
the  compiler,  who  precedes  his  narrative  with  a  pre- 
lude of  generalities,  in  the  style  of  the  exordiums 
found  in  many  of  the  Acts  collected  by  Dom  Euinart. 
This  custom  of  solemnly  reading  the  Acts  of  the 
Martyrs,  on  their  festivals,  has  been  preserved  until 
the  present  day  in  our  Legends  of  the  Breviary.  In 
the  fifth  century  it  Avas  in  full  force,  and  very  dear 
to  the  faithful.  St.  Augustin,  Bishop  of  Hippo, 
frequently  alluded  to  it  in  his  Sermons  de  Sanctis;* 
and  we  have  still  a  Canon  of  one  of  the  Councils  of 
the  African  Church,  expressly  confirming  this  cus- 
tom. It  was  likewise  in  vigor  in  the  Gallican 
Church  at  the  same  epoch,  as  we  learn  from  a  ser- 
mon of  St.  Cesarius  of  Aries,  in  which  he  complains 
of  the  abuse  of  the  permission  given  to  invalids,  to 
sit  during  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Passions  of  the 
Marty  rs.^  Eome,  so  rich  in  memorials,  and  so  zeal- 
ous in  demonstrations  of  piety  towards  the  martyrs, 
could  not  be  outdone  by  the  other  Churches.  Each 
of  its  Basilicas  had,  as  it  were,  its  own  martyr,  and 
honored  him  with  special  veneration  ;  the  Eomans 
must  have  desired  to  have  the  Acts  of  each  glorious 
patron,  that  they  might  be  read  on  the  solemnity  of 
his  feast.  But  Diocletian  having  particularly  ordered 
the  destruction  of  ecclesiastical  books,  many  Acts 
compiled  by  the  notaries,  were  destroyed.  Later 
accounts  of  the  deeds  of  certain  martyrs  were  not 

*  See,  among  others,   the  second  of  St.    Stephen,   the  first  in 
Natali  S,  S.  Perpetuce  et  Felicitatis,  etc. 

f  Labb.  Concil.  tome  ii.  page  1072. 


154  LIFE   OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

written  with  sufficient  discernment.  Moreover,  many 
Acts,  at  different  epochs,  had  been  compiled  by 
heretics,  with  the  intention  of  insinuating  their  errors 
by  means  of  these  documents.  Towards  the  close 
of  the  fifth  century,  the  Holy  See  found  it  necessary 
to  take  measures  for  guarding  the  faith  of  the  Church 
from  the  danger  to  which  it  was  exposed.  As  all 
the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  whether  genuine  or  apocry- 
phal, were  supposed  to  be  authorized  by  the  Church, 
they  were  all  read  with  equal  avidity  by  the  unsus- 
pecting faithful,  and  hence  many  inconveniencies 
might  arise.  The  examination  of  all  the  Acts  extant 
was  a  labor  requiring  time,  hence  no  alternative  was 
left  but  that  of  a  temporary  prohibition  of  all.  A  coun- 
cil held  by  Pope,  St.  Gelasius,  about  495,  drew  up 
the  famous  canon  which  contains  the  catalogue  of  the 
books  considered  orthodox  by  the  Eoman  Church."56, 
It  is  couched  in  the  following  terms  :  "  We  likewise 
receive  the  Acts  of  the  holy  Martyrs  with  the  brilliant 
description  of  their  torments  and  the  marvellous  tri- 
umph of  their  confessions.  What  Catholic  could  doubt 
their  truth  ?  Who  does  not  know  that  the  martyrs  in 
their  combats  suffered  the  most  dreadful  torments, 
and  supported  fearful  trials,  not  by  their  own  strength, 
but  with  the  grace  and  assistance  of  God."f 

*  We  attribute  this  council  to  St.  Gelasius,  according  to  the 
most  common  belief,  without  prejudice  to  the  opinion  of  those 
who  would  date  it  back  to  St.  Damasus,  In  the  latter  case, 
the  recommendation  of  the  Acts  would  be  still  more  striking,  as 
it  would  date  back  to  the  days  immediately  following  the  age  of 
persecutions,  and  consequently  prove  the  existence  of  a  certain 
number  of  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  preserved  by  the  faithful,  even 
after  the  violent  edicts  of  Diocletian. 

t  Item  recipiuntur  gesta  sanctorum  Martyrum  qui  multipli- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  155 

Thus  the  canon  of  St.  Gelasius  confirmed  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  and  appealed  to 
catholic  opinion  respecting  the  truth  of  their  ac- 
counts ;  it  approved  and  recommended  the  use  of 
them,  and  signalized  them  as  being  glorious  proofs 
of  the  wonderful  power  of  God.  But  as  these  acts 
were  not  of  equal  authority,  and  as  it  was  impor- 
tant that  they  should  not  be  indiscriminately  used 
in  the  Eoman  Liturgy,  such  use  being  the  most 
solemn  confirmation  which  they  could  receive  from 
the  Holy  See,  the  Pontiff  adds  the  following  general 
order:  "  According  to  ancient  custom  and  the  dic- 
tates of  prudence,  it  is  not  our  practice  to  read  the 
Acts  of  the  Martyrs  in  the  Holy  Eoman  Church. 
The  reasons  for  this  conduct  are  manifold.  The 
authors  of  some  of  these  Acts  are  completely  un- 
known; others  have  been  written  by  unbelievers, 
or  by  illiterate  men,  who  have  introduced  super- 
fluous things  without  that  perspicuity  which  the 
subject  requires.  As  examples,  we  may  cite  the 
Acts  of  Quiricus,  Julitte,  George,  whose  Passions,  it 
is  said,  have  been  compiled  by  heretics.  Therefore 
the  Holy  Eoman  Church  has  prohibited  the  use 
of  them,  lest  the  contrary  practice  should  offer  some 
slight  ground  for  criticism."* 

cibus  tormentorum  cruciatibus,  et  mirabilibus  confess  ion  urn 
triumphis  irradiant.  Quis  ita  esse  catholieorum  dubitet,  et 
inajora  eos  in  agonibus  fuisse  perpessos  nee  suis  virions,  sed 
gratia  Dei  et  adjutorio  nniversa  tolerasse  ?  Decret.  i.  pars, 
distinct,  xv,  can.  iii.  Sancta  Romana. 

*  Sed  ideo  secundum  antiquam  consuetudinem  singular!  oau- 
tela  in  sancta  Romana  Ecclesia  non  leguntur,  quia  et  eoruin  qui 
conscripsere  nomina  penitus  ignorantur,  et  ab  infidelibus,  aut 
idiotis  superflua,  aut  minus  apta,  quam  rei  ordo  i'uerit,  script* 


156  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

This  extreme  reserve  with  which  the  Eoman 
Church  prohibited  the  public  reading  of  these  Acts, 
applied  even  to  those,  which,  as  historical  monu- 
ments, were  considered  the  most  certain  ;  it  is,  there- 
fore, no  argument  against  the  authenticity  of  any 
particular  Acts.  There  is  no  question  of  literary 
criticism,  but  of  ecclesiastical  policy. 

But  we  have  said  that  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  were 
compiled  in  the  fifth  century,  for  the  purpose  of 
being  publicly  read  in  the  Church  of  the  martyr, 
and  that  the  custom  was  universal  throughout  Eome. 
In  order  to  reconcile  this  apparent  contradiction,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  remember  that  in  the  language 
of  the  ecclesiastical  Acts  of  Eome  during  the  pontifi- 
cate of  St.  Gelasius,  and  long  after,  when  referring  to 
liturgical  customs,  the  Holy  Eoman  Church  signified 
the  Patriarchal  Church  of  Lateran,  See  of  the  su- 
preme Pontiff,  or  the  Church  of  St.  Peter  on  the 
Vatican.  This  fact  is  established  by  Dom  Mabellon, 
who  interpreted  in  this  sense  the  Canon  of  St.  Gela- 
sius,* and  by  the  learned  Moretti  who  developes 
this  Thesis  in  speaking  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Callistus.f 
Since  this  celebrated  decree  recognizes  the  impor- 
tance of  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  and  does  not  in- 
validate their  historical  truth,  except  in  the  case  of 

esse  putantur,  sicut  cujusdam  Quirici  et  Julittae,  sicut  Georgii, 
aliorumque  hujusmodi  passiones,  quae  ab  hoereticis  perhibentur 
conscriptse,  Propter  quod,  ut  dictum  est,  ne  vel  levis  subsan- 
naudi  oriretur  occasio,  iu  sancta  Romana  Ecclesia  non  leguntur. 
Canon.   Sancta  Romana. 

*  Disquisitio  de  Cursu  Gallicano,  page  386.  In  ordinem  Roma- 
num  Commentarius.  page  cxxvu.  Musceum  italicum.  tome  n. 

t  De  S.  Callixto  Papa  et  Martyre,  ej usque  Basilica  S.  Marice 
trans-Tiberim,  page  206. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  157 

those  which  it  expressly  condemns,  as  for  instance, 
in  the  case  of  the  Acts  of  Quiricus,  Julitte,  and 
George,  it  evidently  was  not  intended  to  prohibit 
the  reading  of  the  Passions  of  Martyrs  in  the  private 
churches  of  Borne. 

This  conclusion  is  rendered  still  more  clear  by 
the  direct  testimony  of  a  venerable  memorial  of 
the  Eoman  Liturgy,  published  by  Blessed  Joseph 
Maria  Tommasi.  It  is  an  Ordo  Bomanus  of  the  Tenth 
Century,  taken  from  the  library  of  the  Yallicella,  and 
also  found  in  that  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Gall.  *  Under 
the  rubric DeFes tis  Sanctorum,  qualiter  apud  Romanos 
celebrantur,  the  following  lines  are  found  in  this  offi- 
cial document.  M  Until  the  time  of  Adrian,  the  Pas- 
sions and  Acts  of  the  Saints  were  only  read  in  the 
Churches  dedicated  to  these  saints.  This  Pope 
changed  the  rule,  and  directed  that  they  should  also 
be  read  in  the  Church  of  St.  Peter.*" 

This  important  passage  does  not  tell  us,  it  is  true, 
at  what  epoch  the  custom  was  introduced  of  reading 
the  Passions  of  the  saints  at  the  divine  office  in  their 
titulary  Churches  ;  but  the  custom  was  quite  an  an- 
cient one  during  the  pontificate  of  Adrian,  who  was 
Pope  at  the  end  of  the  VIII.  century.  If  there  be 
any  difficulty  in  reconciling  this  custom  with  the 
primitive  usages  of  the  Eoman  Church,  which, 
during  the  pontificate  of  St.  Gelasius,  might  perhaps 
have  shrunk  from  introducing   into   the    Liturgy, 

*  Passiones  sanctorum,  vel  Gesta  ipsorum,  usque  Adriani  tem- 
pora,  tantummodo  ibi  legebantur,  ubi  Ecclesia  ipsius  Sancti  vel 
Titulus  erat.  Ipse  vero  a  tempoere  suo  rennuere  jussit,  et  in  Ec- 
clesia Sancti  Petri  legendas  esse  constituit.  B.  Jos.  M.Thomasii 
opp.  tome  iv,  page  325. 

14 


158  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

lessons  not  taken  from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  we  may- 
observe,  that  without  being  inserted  into  the  divine 
office,  the  Passions  of  the  Saints  might  have  been 
read  to  the  faithful  on  the  festivals  of  these  Saints, 
in  order  to  increase  the  solemnity  of  the  day.  We 
have  examples  of  such  reading  being  made  out  of 
the  time  of  divine  office.  It  will  be  sufficient  to 
mention  one  fact  that  occurred  in  the  VI.  century. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  subdeacon  Arator  read  his 
poem  upon  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Jeter  in  Chains,  by  order  of  Pope  Yigilius. 
With  still  greater  propriety,  might  the  Passions  of 
the  Martyrs  have  been  read.  The  use  which  the 
Eoman  Church  made  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  in 
her  Liturgy,  from  the  V.  century,  proves  that  the 
text  was  familiar  to  the  Church,  as  we  will  presently 
show,  whether  it  was  read  to  the  people  in  the  daily 
office,  or  made  the  subject  of  a  solemn  reading,  out 
of  the  time  of  divine  worship. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TESTIMONY  OP  THE    LITURGIES  OP    THE    WEST  IN    FAVOR  OF  THE  ACTS 
OP  ST.   CECILIA. 

It  is  therefore  plain  that  the  Canon  of  St.  Gelasius 
offers  no  unfavorable  allusion  to  the  Acts  of  St.  Ceci- 
lia ;  it  now  remains  for  us  to  prove  that  far  from  con- 
sidering these  Acts  as  of  trifling  or  doubtful  authority, 
the  Eoman  and  Western  Churches,  from  the  V.  Cen- 
tury, esteemed  them  so  highly,  that  they  borrowed  from 


LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  159 

them  the  substance  of  the  prayers  and  canticles  ad- 
dressed to  God  on  the  solemnity  of  St.  Cecilia's  feast. 
"We  will  commence  with  the  Eoman  Church.  Her 
most  ancient  Sacramentary,  known  under  the  name 
of  Leonian,  because  the  greater  part  of  its  formulas 
are  attributed  to  Pope  Saint  Leo  the  Great,  thus  men- 
tions Cecilia,  in  one  of  its  five  Prefaces,  all  dedicated 
to  our  holy  Martyr.  "  Cecilia,  destined  by  the  will 
of  her  parents  to  become  the  spouse  of  a  mortal, 
scorned  a  union  which  was  to  last  but  a  short  time, 
and  jealous  of  the  crown  of  chastity,  sought  an  im- 
mortal spouse ;  preferring  the  honors  of  everlasting 
life  to  the  joys  of  maternity.  Her  glory  is  enhanced 
by  her  having  prevailed  upon  Valerian  to  whom  she 
was  united  in  marriage,  to  join  her  in  the  practice  of 
perpetual  chastity,  and  to  share  with  her  the  crown 
of  martyrdom."*  Later  in  the  V.  century,  the  Eoman 
Church  thus  speaks :  "  The  inconstancy  of  youth 
could  not  arrest  Cecilia  in  the  path  of  virtue;  the 
charms  of  the  senses  could  not  make  her  look  back ; 
nor  could  the  fragility  of  her  sex  intimidate  her. 
Although  a  young  woman,  exposed  to  all  the  tor- 
ments of  the  executioners,  the  chaste  Virgin  Martyr 
gained  a  glorious  victory,  and  to  crown  her  triumph, 
bore  with  her  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  the  man 
who  had  been  given  her  as  a  spouse."f     In  the  numer- 

*  Dum  humanis  devota  nuptiis,  thalamos  temporales  contem- 
neret,  sponsum  sibi,  qui  perpetuus  esset,  praesumpto  pr»mio 
castitatis  adhibuit,  et  aeternitatem  vitce  maluit,  quam  ut  mundo 
procrearet  originem.  In  cujus  gloriam  etiam  illud  accessit,  ut 
Valerianum,  cui  fuerat  matrimonii  jure  copulanda,  in  perpetuum 
sibi  socians  Martyr  casta  consortium,  secum  duceret  ad  coronam. 
Muratori.  Liturgia  Romana  vetus,  tome  i.  Sacrament.  Leonianum, 
page  456. 

f  Despecto  mundi  conjugio,  ad  consortia  superna  contondens, 


160  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

ous  and  elegant  compositions  stamped  by  the  genius 
of  Leo,  allusions  to  the  Acts  are  evident ;  we  will  not 
stop  to  point  them  out.  The  Gelasian  Sacramentary, 
which  also  belongs  to  the  V.  century,  contains  a  pre- 
face of  the  same  style  and  full  of  the  same  allusions,"* 
and  in  its  collect  commemorates  the  crowns  brought  by 
the  angel  to  Valerian  and  Cecilia.f  At  the  end  of 
the  VI.  century,  St.  Gregory,  in  his  Sacramentary, 
diminished  the  number  of  the  prefaces  of  the  saints 
which  formed  the  riches  of  the  Missals  of  St.  Leo  and 
St.  Gelasius.  Those  of  St.  Cecilia  were  sacrificed  with 
the  others,  but  in  return  the  most  ancient  manuscripts 
of  St.  Gregory's  Eesponsorial  prove,  that  if  the  Eoman 
Church  in  the  VI.  and  VII.  centuries,  abated  nothing 
of  her  severity  in  favor  of  St.  Cecilia,  respecting  the 
conciseness  of  the  prayers  to  be  thenceforth  used  at 
the  Holy  sacrifice  ;  she  superabundantly  compensated 
for  this  severity  in  the  chants  which  accompany  the 
Canonical  Hours.J  All  the  anthems  and  responses  of 

nee  setate  nutabili  prsepedita  est,  nee  revocata  carnis  illecebra, 
nee  sexus  fragilitate  deterrita,  sed  inter  puellares  annos,  inter 
saeculi  blandimenta,  inter  snpplicia  persequentum,  multiplicem 
victoriam  Virgo  casta  et  Martyr  explevit,  et  ad  potiorem  trium- 
phum  secnm  ad  regna  ccelestia,  cni  fuerat  nupta,  perduxit.  Mura. 
tori.  Liturgia  Romana  vetus,  tome  i.  Sacrament.  Leonianum,  p.  456. 

*  Gerbert.  Liber  Sacramentoruin.  Liturgia  Alemannica,  tome  ii. 
page  197. 

f  Deus,  cnibeata  Caecilia  ita  castitatis  devotione  complaenit,  ut 
conjugem  suum  Valerianum,  affinemque  ejus  Tiburtium  tibi  fe. 
cerit  consecrari,  cum  et  Angelo  deferente  micantium  odoriferas 
florum  coronas,  palmam  martyrii  percepemnt :  tribue,  qnaesu- 
mus,  ut  ea  intercedente  pro  nobis,  beneficia  tui  muneris  perci- 
pere  mereamur.    Gerbert  Ibid,  page  196. 

X  See  the  manuscript  of  St.  Gregory's  Responsorial,  published 
by  Dionysius  of  St.  Martha,  and  by  Blessed  Joseph  Marie 
Tommasi. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  161 

the  office  of  the  twenty- second  of  November  are  taken 
literally  from  our  Acts,  and  have  remained  the  same 
after  the  lapse  of  twelve  centuries,  as  they  were  at  the 
time  of  St.  Gregory. 

The  Book  of  the  Gospels  carried  by  Cecilia  upon 
her  heart,*  the  ardent  prayers  she  addressed  to  God 
at  her  approaching  marriage  with  Valerian, f  her 
fasts  of  two  and  three  days,;]:  the  hair  shirt  she  wore 
under  her  garments,§  the  musicians'  concert,  during 
which  she  sang  hymns  to  the  Almighty, ||  the  confi- 
dence she  reposed  in  Valerian, ^[  the  words  of  the 
latter  to  the  poor  Christians  in  the  Appian  AVay, 
his  interview  with  Urban,**  the  Pontiff's  prayer 
after  hearing  the  miracles  wrought  by  Cecilia, ff 
Valerian's  return  to  his  bride,  and  the  apparition  of 
the  Angel,  $$  Cecilia's  conversation  with  Tiburtius, 
which  resulted  in  his  conversion  to  the  faith,  Ceci- 
lia's apostrophe  to  the  martyr  band  at  day-break  in 

*  Virgo  gloriosa  semper  Evangelium  Christigerebat  inpectore. 

f  Et  non  diebus  neque  noctibus  vacabat  a  colloquiis  divinis  et 
oratione. 

t  Biduanis  ac  triduanis  jejuniis  oralis,  commendabat  Domino 
quod  timebat. 

§  Cilicio  Coscilia  membra  domabat,  Deum  gemitibus  exorabat. 

||  Cantantibus  organis,  Csecilia  Domino  decantabat  dicens.  Fiat 
cor  meum  irnmaculatum,  ut  non  confundar 

IT  Est  secretum,  Valeriane.  quod  tibi  volo  dicere  :  Angelum 
Dei  habeo  amatorem,  qui  nimio  zelo  custodit  corpus  meum. 

**  Csecilia  me  misit  ad  vos,  ut  ostendatis  mihi  sanctum  Ur- 
banum,  quia  ad  ipsum  habeo  secreta  quae  perferam. 

ft  Domine  Jesu  Christe,  pastor  bone,  seminator  casti  consilii, 
suscipe  seminum  fructus,  quos  in  Caecilia  seminasti.  CsEcilia 
famula  tua,  quasi  apis  tibi  argumentosa  deservit. 

Xt  Valerianus  in  cubiculo  Caeciliam  cum  Angelo  orantem  in- 
venit. 


162  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

the  house  of  Maximus*  the  protestation  of  Al- 
machius'  officers,  after  the  exhortation  addressed  to 
them  by  the  virgin, f  the  victory  she  herself  gained;]: 
over  the  Koman  prefect's  tyranny, §  one  of  the  replies 
of  her  interrogatory;]]  finally,  the  request  she  made  St. 
Urban  when  expiring  ;T  such  is  a  summary  of  the 
Gregorian  office  of  St.  Cecilia,  and,  consequently, 
such  are  the  facts  considered  authentic  by  the  Church 
of  Rome  since  the  end  of  the  sixth  century.  These 
different  incidents  represent  in  an  abridged  form, 
the  narrative  of  the  Acts  ;  the  same  words  even  are 
preserved,  except  where  the  necessity  of  adapting 
them  to  the  harmony  of  the  ecclesiastical  chant,  re- 
quired a  slight  alteration.  We  are,  therefore,  per- 
fectly safe  in  concluding  that  there  is  no  history 
considered  more  venerable  by  the  Church  of  Rome, 
than  that  of  St.  Cecilia,  as  it  is  related  in  these  pages, 
and  set  forth  in  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Gregory.  Let  us 
now  examine  the  other  Western  Liturgies. 

We  shall  begin  with  that  of  Milan,  called  Ambro- 
sian,  because  the  greater  part  of  it  was  compiled  by 
St.  Ambrose.     The  Mass  of  St.  Cecilia,  contained  in 

*  Beata  Caecilia  dixit  Tiburtio  :  Hodie  te  fateor  meum  esse 
cognatum,  quia  amor  Dei  te  fecit  esse  contemptorem  idoloram. 
-  f  Dum  aurora  fiuem  daret,  Caecilia  dixit  :  Eia  niilites  Christi, 
abjicite  opera  tenebrarum,  et  induimini  arma  lucis. 

X  Credimus  Christum  Filium  Dei  verum  Deum  esse,  qui  sibi 
talem  elegit  famulam. 

§  0  beata  Caecilia  qua?  duos  fratres  convertisti,  Almachium 
judicem  superasti,  Urbanum  episcopum  in  vultu  angelico  de- 
monstrasti. 

||  Nos  scientes  sanctum  nomen  ejus,  omnino  negare  non  pos- 
sumus. 

^  Triduanas  a  Domino  poposci  inducias,  ut  domum  meam 
Ecclesiam  consecrarem. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  163 

it,  is  drawn  up  with  great  care,  and,  judging  by  its  ! 
style,  can  scarcely  be  dated  farther  back  than  the 
fifth  century.  The  following  are  the  principal  pas- 
sages of  the  Preface:  "  Christ  lavished  upon  Cecilia 
the  highest  honors  of  heaven.  To  merit  the  palm 
of  martyrdom,  she  withdrew  from  the  world  and 
its  nuptial  joys.  To  her  is  due  the  honor  of  the 
glorious  confession  of  her  husband,  Valerian,  and 
of  his  brother,  Tiburtius.  Thou,  0  Lord,  didst  crown 
them  with  fragrant  flowers  by  the  hand  of  a  celestial 
spirit.  The  virgin  guided  these  young  men  to  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  thus  teaching  the  world  the 
power  of  chastity.  Through  Cecilia's  merits  they 
became  martyrs,  and  followed,  in  the  company  of  the 
angels,  the  footsteps  of  the  King  of  Glory  ."* 

The  Offertory  is  composed  of  St.  Urbairs  prayer, 
in  which  he  thanked  our  Lord  for  having  so  signally 
blessed  St.  Cecilia's  eloquence. 

In  the  chants  of  its  canonical  office,  the  Ambro- 
sian  Eesponsorial,  like  that  of  St.  Gregory,  borrows 
from  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.f 

If  we  now  examine  the  Gallican  Church,  wre  shall 
find  that  its  ancient  liturgy,  which  lasted  until  the 
time  of  Pepin  and  Charlemagne,  bears  an  analogous 
testimony  to  the  authenticity  of  our  Acts.  The  most 

*  Per  Christum  Sancta  Csecilia,  coelesti  dono  repleta,  ut  mar- 
tyrii  palmam  assunieret,  ipsum  niundum  est  cum  tbalamis  exse- 
crata.  Testis  est  Valeriani,  et  Tiburtii  provocata  confessio  :  quos 
angelica  maim  odoriferis  floribus  coronasti.  Viros  Virgo  duxit 
ad  gloriam.  Mundus  agnovit  quantum  valeat  devotio  castita- 
tis  ;  qnso  ita  promcruit,  ut  Marty  res  efficerentur,  et  iter  Regis 
gloriao  cum  Angelis  graderentur.  Missale  Ambrosianum.  In  Natali 
S.  Casciliai.   Virg.   et  Mart. 

f  Breviarium  Ambrosianum.  xxii  Novcmbris. 


164  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

complete  Gallican  Missal  now  extant,  although  con- 
taining but  twenty-six  Masses,  {Proper)  of  the  Saints, 
has  one  in  honor  of  St.  Cecilia.  This  Mass,  com- 
piled in  a  pompous  style,  is  a  summary  of  the 
Eoman  Legends.  Its  Preface  is  in  the  style  of  the 
Leonian  and  Gelasian  Sacramentaries,  and  retraces, 
in  an  abridged  form,  the  character  of  the  virgin,  her 
different  trials,  her  martyrdom,  her  crown,  and  her 
entrance  into  the  celestial  kingdom  with  Valerian.* 
This  Missal,  according  to  the  opinion  of  B.  Joseph 
Maria  Tommasi,  is  the  same  which  was  compiled 
about  the  year  460,  by  Musaeus,  a  priest  of  Mar- 
seilles, the  principal  author  of  the  Gallican  Liturgy. 
Finally  the  Gothic  Church  of  Spain,  whose  Liturgy 
was  compiled  by  St.  Leander,  Archbishop  of  Seville, 
a  friend  and  contemporary  of  St.  Gregory,  also  offers 
testimony  in  favor  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  The 
prayers  in  its  Missal  constantly  allude  to  the  inci- 
dents we  have  mentioned.  The  hair  shirt  with  which 
the  Virgin  mortified  her  body;f  the  crowns  of  roses 
and  lilies  brought  from  Heaven  by  an  angel ; %  Va- 
lerian's prayer  to  the  Blessed  Spirit  to  obtain  his 
brother's  conversion,!  are  all  mentioned ;  and  finally 

*  Mabillon.  Liturgia  Gallicana,  page  226,  217. 

f  Illadenique  procul  dubio  poterit  apud  Deum  veniam  nostris 
impetrare  offensis,  quae  suam  tegens  cilicio  carnem,  multorura 
animas  convertit  ad  fidem.  Missale  mixtum  Sf?cundum  Regulam 
B.  Isidori,  dictum  Mozarabes.     Infesto  S.  Ccecilice  Virginis. 

t  Splendificos  aspectus  angelicos  destinasti  ad  terras,  per  quos 
illis  (Martyribus)  concretas  liliorum  ac  rosarum  floribus  desti- 
nasti coronas.     Ibid, 

§  Qui  Tiburtium  fratis  prece  perduxit  ad  fidem,  ipse  per  vos 
accendat  plurimos  ad  diligendam  aeternse  glori»  mansionem. 
Ibid. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  165 

an  eloquent  comparison  is  made  between  the  fire 
which  burned  beneath  Cecilia's  feet  in  the  caldarium 
of  her  palace,  and  the  celestial  love  which  consumed 
her  heart.*  The  circumstances  of  our  Acts  are  given 
more  fully  in  the  Missal  of  the  Gothic  Church  of 
Spain  than  in  its  Breviary,  the  prayers  of  which 
are  extremely  short ;  however,  the  latter  contains  a 
hymn  of  fourteen  verses,  in  which  the  life  of  St. 
Cecilia  is  sung  with  touching  veneration.f  St.  Isi- 
dore, the  brother  of  St.  Leander,  composed  the  greater 
number  of  the  hymns  of  this  Liturgy.  It  is  possible 
that  this  learned  doctor  of  the  Church  is  not  the 
author  of  the  one  just  mentioned.  However  this 
may  be,  it  cannot  be  dated  later  than  the  seventh 
century,  at  which  period  St.  Isidore  flourished,  be- 
cause St.  Julian  of  Toledo,  the  last  poet  who  composed 
hymns  for  the  Gothic  Breviary,  lived  in  675. 

*  Gloriosam  Virginem  Caeciliam  die  integro  et  nocte  tota  ther- 
mis  inclusam,  nee  ullo  modo  loesam  fuisse  fatemur.  Servari 
quippe  meruit  in  balnei  calore,  quae  gestabat  Christum  in  pectore. 
Duae  quippe  ignium  divisae  faces  ardebant ;  una  in  Virginis  corde, 
altera  sub  Virginis  pede ;  una  combustioni  parata,  altera  refri- 
gerio  debita ;  una  minabatur  supplicium,  pollicebatur  altera  re- 
gnum  ;  una  morituris  corporibus  necem,  altera  vivituro  spiritui 
futuram  praeparans  libertatem.  Missale  mixtum  secundum  Regu- 
lam  B.  Isidori,  dictum  Mozarabes.  Infesto  S.  Ccecilice  Virginis. 
f  We  give  a  copy  of  this  hymn,  a  true  historical  monument 
of  the  life  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  imperfection  of  the  verses  does  not 
invalidate  the  testimony  thus  rendered  by  the  Church  of  Spain 
in  the  seventh  century. 

Inclytae  festum  pudoris         Germine  haec  Virgo  clara, 
Virginis  Caecilice  Sanctitate  clarior  ; 

Gloriosa  praecinamus  Pectore  Christum  praestans, 

Voce  prompti  pectoris  ;         Huncque  solum  prodioans, 
Quo  soluta  lege  mortis  *        Ore  sponsum,  mente  scelus, 
Tollitur  in  aethera.  Vicit  hostem  sanguine. 


166 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


By  comparing   the   monuments  most  worthy  of 
veneration  in  the  Western   Liturgy,  we  find   that 


Pectoris  sacri  recessum 
Munit  Evangelic) ; 
Squalido  corpus  beatum 
Proterit  cilicio : 
Noctis  horas  et  diei 
Mentis  implens  cantico. 

HaBc  enim  sortita  sponsum 
Grerminis  prsefulgidi ; 
Angelum  Dei  fatetnr 
Se  habere  vindicem : 
Hnnc  verendo  ut  pudori 
Det  honorem  commonet. 

Sponsus  hie  furore  cseco 
Comminatur  virgini ; 
Sed  beata  Virgo  factis 
Dicta  prorsus  comprobans  ; 
Angelum,  munusqueexecelo 
Mox  adesse  prsestitit. 

Adfuit  promissus  idem 
Vir  coruscis  vestibus ; 
Exhibens  serti  coronas, 
Floribus  prsefulgidis  : 
In  rosis  docens  cruorem, 
Castitatem  liliis. 

Munere  hoc  provocatus 
Sponsus  ad  Christi  fidem  : 
Illico  fratris  salutum 
Imprsecatus  obtinet, 
Hincque  ambo  passionis 
Consecrantur  sanguine. 

Hunc  Inde  virgo  Christi 
Consequens  Csecilia, 
Hanc  triumphalis  honoris 
Promeretur  gloriam : 
Igneis  imis  retrusa, 
Fit  caloris  nescia. 


Plus  calens  sic  igne  Christi, 
Vicit  ignem  saeculi, 
Et  vibrantis  ensis  ictum 
Ter  valenter  sustulit ; 
Postque  terris  membra  ponit, 
Spiritu  ccelos  petit. 

Inde  nobis  sacra  Virgo 
Mitte  coeli  munera ; 
Liliorum,  vel  rosarum 
Munus  inde  proroga : 
Unde  hausisti  superna 
Veritatis  gaudia. 

Liliis  corusca  in  nobis 
Castitas  prsefulgeat : 
Punicis  rosis  voluntas 
Passionis  ferveat ; 
Criminis  mole  subacta 
Innovemur  gratia. 

Ecce  adventum  futuri 
PraBstolamur  judicis ; 
Sustinemus,  et  beata 
Ilia  lucis  gaudia ; 
Non  rei  tunc  puniamur, 
Non  crememur  ignibus. 

Martyrum,  et  sacrosanctis 
Aggregati  coetibus, 
Evadamus,  quod  timemus 
Continentis  gloriam, 
Regis  almi  ad  coronam 
Evocati  dexteram. 

Ut  tuam  Christe  videntes 
Servuli  prcesentiam : 
Grratulemur,  gaudeamus, 
Personemus  gloriam; 
Curiae  coelestis  arce 
Confovendi  in  saecula.  Amen. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  167 

throughout  the  two  centuries  which  followed  the  com- 
pilation of  St.  Cecilia's  Acts,  the  Eoman,  the  Ambro- 
sian,  the  Gallican,  and  the  Spanish  Gothic  churches, 
all  solemnly  adopted  the  facts  they  contain.  We 
must  also  acknowledge  that  even  among  the  most 
authentic  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  scarcely  any  have 
been  so  solemnly  approved. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  APPIAN  WAY  FROM  THE  FOURTH  CENTURY  TO  THE  NI2TTH. 

After  having  proved  the  authenticity  of  the  ac- 
counts transmitted  to  us  respecting  the  virtues  and 
combats  of  St.  Cecilia,  we  must  now  collect  the 
testimonies  of  love  and  veneration  which,  through- 
out the  course  of  ages,  have  been  offered  to  her 
memory  by  the  faithful  in  every  part  of  Christendom. 
We  have  already  mentioned  Cecilia's  dying  wish  that 
her  palace  should  be  converted  into  a  church.  St. 
Urban  fulfilled  this  pious  desire,  and  the  Basilica 
of  St.  Cecilia  became  one  fo  the  most  venerated 
sanctuaries  of  Christian  Rome.  It  is  time  to  recom- 
mence our  pilgrimage  through  the  Appian  Way, 
that  we  may  seek  some  traces  of  our  heroine,  whose 
body  reposed  there  for  several  centuries.  Our  first 
visit  to  this  celebrated  Way  was  in  the  time  of  Alex- 
ander Severus ;  we  shall  glance  at  the  Christian 
memorials  with  which  it  has  been  enriched  since 
that  period.  We  shall  pass  over  the  profane  monu- 
ments doomed  to  be  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  time, 


168   '  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

or  the  hands  of  barbarians,  and  devote  all  our  atten- 
tion to  the  Martyrs'  tombs.  The  Capena  gate  no 
longer  exists,  Aurelian  having  extended  the  limits 
of  Eome  a  mile  further  upon  the  Appian  Way.  The 
subterraneous  cemeteries  between  the  old  and  the 
new  gate  have  been  abandoned  for  those  of  Callistus 
and  Pretextatus,  the  galleries  of  which  commenced 
before  the  second  mile.  The  most  illustrious  Martyrs 
have  been  buried  here.  We  will  examine  their  tombs 
with  the  assistance  of  the  very  incomplete  guide- 
books, the  first  of  which  dates  from  the  seventh  cen- 
tury, the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  and  other  documents. 

After  having  traversed  the  memorable  place  where 
our  Saviour  met  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  still 
ascending  the  acclivity,  we  shall  find  to  the  right 
the  cemetery  of  Callistus,  the  descents  into  which  are 
marked  by  small  churches  with  three  or  four  arches. 
These  Churches  ordinarily  bear  the  name  of  some  Mar- 
tyr, and  each  one  opens  upon  a  staircase  which  gives 
entrance  to  that  part  of  the  Catacombs  where  its 
Patron  is  buried.  These  edifices,  which  are  very 
similar  to  many  of  the  Pagan  tombs  upon  the  Appian 
Way,  were  erected  during  intervals  of  peace,  and 
the  Eoman  Pontiffs  have  piously  watched  over  their 
preservation.  They  are  adorned  with  votive  inscrip- 
tions in  honor  of  the  Martyrs;  other  inscriptions 
were  placed  in  the  crypts  near  the  tombs  of  the 
Saints.  Pope  St.  Damasus  composed  many  of  them, 
expressing  the  combats  of  the  Martyrs,  and  his  own 
humble  devotion  to  them. 

The  first  church  we  meet  upon  the  cemetery  of 

Callistus,  is  that  of  the  holy  Virgin  Sotera,*  who 

*  See  the  guide-books   Salisburgense,   Einsidlense,  Malmes- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  169 

suffered  in  the  persecution  of  Diocletian.  This 
edifice  forms  the  entrance  to  the  Martyr's  tomb, 
which  St.  Ambrose  certifies  belonged  to  her  family.* 

As  we  proceed  towards  the  right,  the  Church  of 
St.  Cornelius  meets  our  eyes;  a  marble  staircase 
which  has  been  recently  discovered,  with  the  rem- 
nants of  the  Damasian  inscription,  conducts  to  the 
cubiculum  which  contains  the  remains  of  the  glorious 
Pontiff.  The  great  Bishop  of  Carthage,  St.  Cyprian, 
is  also  honored  in  this  place,  although  his  body  never 
reposed  there.f 

On  the  same  side,  farther  on,  is  the  Church  called 
ad  Sanctam  Caeciliam,  also  named  ad  Sanctum  Six- 
turn,  because  it  gives  entrance  to  the  crypt,  where 
the  Virgin  Cecilia  and  Pope  Sixtus  II.  are  buried. 
In  this  crypt,  destined  to  receive  the  bodies  of  the 
Pontiffs,  St.  Urban  buried  St.  Cecilia.  It  also  con- 
tains the  remains  of  St.  Zephyrinus,  who  was  buried 
by  St.  CallistusJ  upon  the  upper  story  ;  Pontianus,  the 
successor  of  St.  Urban,  whose  body  was  transported 
from  the  island  where  he  had  been  exiled ;  Anterus, 
celebrated  for  his  zeal  in  preserving  to  posterity  the 
memory  of  the  Martyrs ;  Fabian,  whose  Pontificate 
was  decided  by  the  flight  of  a  dove ;  Lucius^  who  so 
promptly  culled  the  palm  of  martyrdom  and  whom 
we  shall  see  later  associated  in  Cecilia's  triumph ; 

buriense,  and  the  Papyrus  of  Monza.  We  leave  the  honor  of 
commenting  upon  these  monuments  to  M.  le  Chevalier  de  Rossi/ 
who  has  our  best  wishes  for  the  publication  of  his  Codex  topo- 
graphicus  urbis  Romce. 

*  S.  Ambros.  de  Virginibus,  lib.  iii.  cap.  vii.  n°  38. 

t  Itiner.  Salisburg.  Einsidlen.  Malmesbur. 

\  Salisburgense. 


170  LIFE   OF   SAIXT  CECILIA. 

Stephen,  who  defended  the  tradition  of  baptism 
against  the  Africans,  and  was  assassinated  in  his 
episcopal  chair ;  Sixtus  II,  whose  martyrdom  preceded 
by  three  days  that  of  his  Archdeacon,  Lawrence,  and 
who  shares  with  Cecilia  the  honor  of  giving  his  name 
to  this  region  of  the  Callistus  Cemetery ;  Dionysius, 
who  received  from  another  Dionysius,  Patriarch  of 
Alexandria,  a  confession  of  his  faith ;  Eutychian,  of 
whom  we  know  little  but  his  martyrdom  ;  Eusebius, 
who  notwithstanding  his  short  Pontificate,  left  many 
proofs  of  sanctity  ;  and  finally,  Melchiades,  who  had 
the  happiness  of  seeing  peace  dawn  upon  the  Church.* 

Among  this  illustrious  band,  Cecilia  sleeps  her 
glorious  sleep.  Near  her,  repose  Tharsicius,  an 
acolyte  of  the  Eoman  Church,  who  had  the  honor 
of  lying  in  the  same  tomb  with  Zephyrinus ;+  Calo- 
cerus  and  Parthenius,  officers  of  the  court  of  Decius4 
Finally,  in  a  lower  gallery,  twenty-four  other  Martyrs 
whose  names  are  not  mentioned  upon  the  monuments 
of  the  VII.  century,  from  which  we  borrow  this 
description,  form  as  it  were  the  Virgin's  guard  of 
honor.§  In  later  years,  so  great  was  the  veneration 
for  Cecilia's  tomb  that  the  region  which  bore  her 
name,  was  enlarged,  and  the  Martyrologies  of  Bede, 
Adon,  and  Usuard,  mention  nine  hundred  Martyrs 
buried  ad  Sanctam  Caeciliam.|| 

As  we  have  before  remarked,  this  part  of  the 
cemetery  of  Callistus  also  bore  the  name  of  Sixtus ; 
but   the    Church,   through    which   the  crypts   were 

*  Itiner.  Salisburg.  Malmeshuriense. 

f  Salisburgense.  t  Ibid.  §   Ibid. 

II  See  also  the  Roman  Martyrology  of  4th  of  March,  Page  191. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  171 

entered,  was  called  after  Cecilia.*  The  martyrs  we 
have  enumerated,  were  not  all  buried  in  the  same 
cubiculum.  Popes  Fabian,  Sixtus  II,  and  Diony- 
sius,  were  the  only  ones  interred  near  St.  Cecilia. 
The  subterranean  corridors  branched  out  in  every 
direction,  and,  at  certain  distances,  other  sepulchral 
chambers  were  excavated  for  the  Pontiffs  and  princi- 
pal Martyrs. 

Cecilia's  tomb  was  towards  the  south,  rather  far 
from  the  Church  above  mentioned,  and  situated  on 
a  corridor  which  joined  the  galleries  under  the  Church 
of  St.  Sebastian.  It  was  a  cell,  shaped  like  a  square 
oven,  lined  with  four  marble  panels.  This  sepulchre, 
the  form  of  which  is  unusual  in  the  Catacombs,  was 
rather  high,  being  built  near  the  arched  roof  of  the 
corridor ;  it  was  closed  by  a  small  marble  tablet  which 
concealed  the  cypress  coffin  containing  the  remains  of 
St.  Cecilia.  The  absence  of  the  decorations  so  pro- 
fusely lavished  upon  other  sepulchres  of  the  Cata- 
combs, joined  to  the  mysterious  character  of  this  one, 
easily  account  for  all  traces  of  it  being  lost  when  the 
faithful  of  Eome  ceased  to  frequent  the  Catacombs. 
Saint  Damasus,  as  we  have  previously  stated,  wrote 
inscriptions  in  verse  for  the  principal  sepulchres  of 
the  Martyrs.  The  greater  number  of  those  referring 
to  the  tombs  we  have  enumerated,  have  been  des- 
troyed ;  those  only  remain  which  relate  to  the  holy 
Popes  Stephen  and  Eusebius,  and  to  the  acolyte 
Tharsicius.  Fragments  of  the  Damasian  inscription, 
consecrated  to  Pope  St.  Cornelius,  have  been  lately 
found.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  St.  Damasus 
*  Malmesburiense. 


172  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

dedicated  a  special  inscription  to  St.  Cecilia,  as  that 
virgin  occupied  too  distinguished  a  place  in  the 
Appian  Way,  not  to  have  obtained  such  an  honor ; 
we  shall  soon  relate  under  what  circumstances  this 
precious  marble  must  have  disappeared,  and  how 
Divine  Providence  made  use  of  the  hands  of  barba- 
rians to  preserve  for  Christian  Borne  one  of  her  greatest 
treasures. 

The  Pontiff,  who  had  been  so  zealous  in  preserv- 
ing the  Memoirs  of  the  Martyrs,  erecting  in  all 
parts  of  the  Catacombs,  magnificent  epitaphs,  many 
of  which  are  still  in  existence,  had  a  special  devotion 
to  the  band  of  martyrs  buried  upon  the  Appian  Way, 
near  Sts.  Sixtus  and  Cecilia.  Although  he  reigned 
during  the  time  of  peace,  he  might  have  arrogated 
to  himself  a  resting-place  in  the  Crypts  containing 
so  many  heroes,  but  his  humility  prevented  his  aspi- 
ring to  such  an  honor.  Not  far  from  the  church  ad 
Sanctam  Cseciliam,  but  more  to  the  right,  and  nearer 
the  Ardeatine  Way,  which  is  parallel  to  the  Appian, 
he  caused  another  Basilica  to  be  built,  giving  access 
to  the  sacred  cemetery  whose  repose  he  had  not 
ventured  to  disturb ;  it  was  called  the  Church  of 
Damasus.  It  was  there  that  he  buried  his  mother 
and  sister;  and  there,  also,  that,  after  eighteen  years 
of  a  brilliant  and  laborious  pontificate,  his  own  re- 
mains were  interred. 

The  inscription  which  Damasus  had  prepared  for 
his  own  tomb,  was  placed  in  the  church.  In  it,  the 
Pontiff  extolled  the  martyrs  grouped  around  St.  Six- 
tus, and  concluded  with  these  words  :  "  I,  Dama- 
sus, must  acknowledge  that  I  had  thought  of  choos- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  173 

ing  among  them,  a  place  for  my  own  body;  but  I 
feared  to  insult  the  ashes  of  the  Saints"* 

Pursuing  our  pious  pilgrimage,  after  praying  at 
Cecilia's  tomb,  let  us  continue  to  explore  the  sacred 
monuments  presented  to  us  on  the  right  side  of  the 
Appian  Way.  We  will  pass  by  the  Churches  of  St. 
Damasus,  of  Pope  St.  Mark,  and  of  the  two  brothers 
Marcel  and  Marcellinus,  because  they  belong  to  the 
Ardeatine  Way,  as  well  as  the  vast  cemetery  of  Sts. 
Nereus  and  Achilles,  and  descending  the  hill,  we 
reach  the  place  properly  called  the  Catacombs.  In 
this  place,  is  venerated  the  mysterious  well,  where, 
for  forty  years,  the  bodies  of  the  holy  Apostles  were 
concealed ;  we  have  already  mentioned  it.  After 
the  age  of  persecution,  a  splendid  church  called  after 
the  great  Sebastian,  was  erected  upon  this  spot,  and 
is  one  of  the  seven  churches  in  which  Christian 
Eome  glories,  as  Pagan  Borne  formerly  boasted  of 
her  seven  hills.  Several  galleries  of  the  Callistus 
Cemetery  extend  round  this  church.  The  valiant 
soldier  of  Christ,  St.  Sebastian,  reposes  here;  not 
far  from  him  the  military  tribune  Quirinus,  who  was 
buried  here  by  his  pious  daughter,  the  virgin,  St. 
Balbina;f  and  Eutychius  who  suffered  a  cruel  mar- 
tyrdom, as  we  learn  from  the  long  inscription  which 
is  still  preserved.  Leaving  the  Church  of  St.  Sebas- 
tian, we  will  retrace  our  steps  towards  Eome,  ex- 
ploring as  we  go,  the  Christian  monuments  upon  the 
left  of  the  Appian  Way.  Down  in  the  valley,  is  the 
*  Hie  fateor  Damasus  volui  mea  condere  membra  ; 

Sed  cineres  timui  sanctos  vexare  piorum. 

S.  Damasi  opp.,  carme  xxxiii  (Mai.  Seript.  Vatt.  nov. 

,    Coll.  t.  v.  p.  37).  f  Itinerar,   Sali.sburg.  Malmesbur. 

15* 


174  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

Pagan  temple,  memorable  for  having  been  the  re- 
treat of  St.  Urban.  In  the  same  direction,  we  can 
see  in  the  distance,  the  Church  of  St.  Eugenia,*  which 
gives  entrance  to  the  cemetery  of  Apronianus  upon 
the  Latin  Way,  which,  like  the  Ardeatine,  runs 
parallel  to  the  Appian.  This  illustrious  virgin,  who 
suffered  martyrdom  during  the  persecution  of  Gali- 
enus,  was  buried  here  by  her  mother,  Claudia.  We 
next  walk  along  the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus,  and 
meet  the  small  church  built  upon  the  spot  where 
Pope  St.  Sixtus  was  beheaded,  with  his  deacons, 
Felicissimus  and  Agapitus.f  St.  Cyprian  says  in  one 
of  his  letters,  that  their  execution  took  place  in  this 
very  cemetery.  The  ministers  of  Decius  hoped  that 
by  choosing,  for  the  holy  Pontiff's  place  of  martyr- 
dom, one  of  the  cemeteries  excavated  by  the  faith- 
ful, they  would  more  effectually  terrify  the  Christians. 
The  martyr's  body  was  transported,  as  we  have  said, 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Way  to  the  cemetery  of 
Callistus,  where  the  body  of  Cecilia  reposed.  The 
two  deacons,  who  were  martyred  with  the  Pontiff1, 
were  buried  near  the  place  where  they  shed  their 
blood.  A  church  forms  the  entrance  to  their  tombs. 
Januarius,  J  Magnus,  Vincent,  and  Stephen,  who  were 
also  companions  of  Sixtus,  are  buried  in  the  same 
place.  On  this  account,  the  church  is  called,  Ad 
Sanctum  Januarium.  The  large  crypt  which  contains 
St.  Urban 's  body,  is  near  the  church  of  which  we 
speak. §     We  have  seen  how  Marmenia,  in  her  pious 

*  Itinerar.  Einsidlense.  |  Epist.  lxxxii. 

X  The  Salzburg  guide-books   confound  this  Januarius  with  a 
son  of  St.  Felicitas,  who  bore  the  same  name. 
§  Itinerar.  Salisburg.  Malmesbur. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  175 

zeal,  prepared  this  sepulchre  for  the  holy  Pope,  and 
this  accounts  for  his  not  being  buried  with  Cecilia 
and  Zephyrinus. 

Two  other  churches  open  upon  the  cemetery  of 
Pretextatus,  forming  a  group  with  that  of  Januarius, 
on  the  left  side  of  the  Appian  Way.  The  smaller 
one  is  called  after  the  holy  martyr  St.  Zeno  ;*  the 
other,  which  is  larger,  bears  the  name  of  Saints  Ti- 
burtius,  Valerian,  and  Maximus.f  The  Basilica  of 
Cecilia  and  Sixtus,  on  the  right  of  the  Appian  Way, 
is  directly  opposite  to  the  Church  of  Valerian  upon 
the  left.  The  votive  inscription  to  the  three  martyrs 
is  exposed  near  their  tombs.  It  is  written  in  charac- 
ters of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries,  and  runs  thus: 

SANCTIS  MARTYKIBVS  TIBVRTIO 
BALERIANO^  et  MAXIMO   QVORVM 

NATALES§  EST  XVIII.  KALEDAS||  MAIAS. 

This  marble  which  gives  some  idea  of  the  inscrip- 
tions placed  in  the  crypts  to  designate  the  names  of 
the  principal  martyrs  honored  by  the  faithful,  still 
exists,  and  in  the  ninth  century  was  transported  to 
the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia.^"     After  having  venerated 

*  Itinerar.  Salisburg.  Malmesbur. 

t  Ibid. 

%  Baleriano  for  Valeriano.  B  is  substituted  for  V  upon  many 
of  the  Christian  and  Pagan  inscriptions  of  the  first  ages. 

§  Natales  for  Natalis.  This  replacing  E  for  I,  is  also  very  fre- 
quent in  the  ancient  monuments.  With  respect  to  the  word 
Natalis,  birthday,  being  used  for  the  day  when  the  martyrs,  dis- 
engaged from  their  bodies,  were  born  to  eternity,  it  is  the  usual 
liturgical  style  since  the  first  ages  of  the  Church. 

||  Kaledas  for  Kalendas.  These  omissions  of  letters  often  dis- 
figure the  most  beautiful  inscriptions. 

IT  In  the  first  edition  we  accepted  the  opinion  of  all  authors 
who  had  spoken  of  this  inscription.     With  them  we  thought  it 


176  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

the  sepulchres  of  our  heroes,  we  will  continue  our 
course  upon  the  Appian.  Passing  again  the  little 
Church,  commemorative  of  the  meeting  of  our  Saviour 
and  St.  Peter,  we  arrive  at  Aurelian's  wall,  and 
going  through  the  gate  which  afterwards  received 
the  name  of  St.  Sebastian,  we  re-enter  the  Holy 
City. 


CHAPTEE  XX. 

EVENTS  RELATING  TO  ST.  CECILIA  AND  HER  CHURCH  THROUGHOUT 
THE  SEVENTH  CENTURY. 

The  Librarians  of  the  Apostolic  See,  compiled  at 
an  early  date  in  Eome,  a  chronicle  of  the  Eoman 

belonged  to  the  third  century.  Since  then  we  have  examined 
the  marble  more  attentively,  and  it  seems  impossible  to  date  it 
so  far  back.  The  inscription  is  still  quite  beautiful,  but  the 
inferiority  of  the  letters  is  such  that  it  must  have  been  engraven 
after  the  reign  of  Constantine,  probably  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  fourth  century,  and  perhaps  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifth. 
Our  learned  friend,  M.  le  Chevalier  de  Rossi,  is  of  the  same 
opinion.  Before  proceeding  further,  we  must  speak  of  a  monu- 
ment in  the  cubiculum  of  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Sebastian.  It 
bears  this  inscription : 

SANCTO    MARTYRI    MAXIMO. 

Many  have  supposed  it  to  be  the  sepulchral  inscription  of  St. 
Maximus,  but  it  is  not.  This  marble  is  simply  a  detached  frag- 
ment of  the  upper  part  of  a  Christian  sarcophagus.  We  have 
examples  of  these  large  marble  sarcophagi,  ornamented  with 
symbolical  bas  reliefs,  with  the  portrait  of  the  deceased  in 
the  centre,  and  an  inscription  above,  in  honor  of  the  martyr 
under  whose  protection  he  wished  to  repose.  The  thickness 
and  dimensions  of  the  stone  of  which  we  speak,  and  the  traces 
it  still  bears  of  having  adhered  to  a  solid  mass  of  the  same  ma- 
terial, take  away  all  doubt  of  its  origin. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  177 

Pontiffs,  more  extensive  and  full  of  incidents  than 
that  written  in  the  fourth  century,  and  ending  with 
the  pontificate  of  Liberius.  This  second  chronicle 
has  been  preserved,  and  extends  to  Felix  IV.,  who 
occupied  the  Holy  See  from  526  to  530. 

It  served  as  a  basis  for  the  famous  biography  of 
the  Popes,  so  long  attributed  to  Anastasius,  the  li- 
brarian, who  merely  continued  it.*  If  we  examine 
this  precious  document,  which  dates  back  to  the  first 
half  of  the  sixth  century,  we  shall  find  therein  the 
following  passage  relating  to  St.  Urban.  "  He  bap- 
tized a  number  of  persons,  among  others  Valerian, 
husband  of  Cecilia;  and  many  of  those  whom  he 
instructed,  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom."f  Thus 
the  official  tradition  of  the  Koman  Church,  as  well  as 
the  Liturgy,  placed,  in  the  pontificate  of  St.  Urban, 
the  events  related  in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  con- 
firmed these  recitals  as  far  as  was  compatible  with 
the  extreme  brevity  of  a  chronicle  so  concise  as  that 
of  Felix  IV.  The  Church  of  the  holy  martyr,  al- 
though deprived  of  the  relics  of  its  glorious  patroness, 
continued  to  be  venerated  by  the  faithful. 

It  was  greatly  honored  in  530,  when  its  Titulary 
Cardinal,  Boniface  Sigisvult,  or  Sigisband,  was  ele- 
vated to  the  Apostolic  See,  as  successor  of  Felix  IV., 
under  the  name  of  Boniface  114  In  later  years,  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia  frequently  enjoyed  this  honor. 

The  ftoman  Pontiffs  were  in  the  habit  of  celebra- 
ting the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  this  church,  on  the  mar- 

*  Origines  de  l'Eglise  Romaine,  vol.  i,  page  191-249. 

t  Hie  sua  traditione  multos  convertit  ad  baptisma,  etiam  Va- 
lerianum  sponsum  S.  Caecilise,  et  multi  martyrio  coronati  sunt 
per  ejus  doetrinam.      Chronique  de  Felix  IV.,  in  Urbano. 

X  Ciaooonius.  Vita)  Ronianorum  Pontificuni,  Tome  i.  page  358. 


L78  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

tyr's  festival.  In  the  year  540,  this  solemnity  was 
interrupted  by  an  attack  upon  the  person  of  the 
Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Emperor  Justinian,  in  one  of  the  outbreaks 
of  his  theological  mania,  published  his  famous  edict 
against  the  "  three  chapters."  He  formed  the  design 
of  forcing  Pope  Yigilius  to  confirm,  by  apostoiic 
authority,  the  edict  which  was  causing  so  much 
trouble  in  the  Eastern  Churches.  His  design  was  to 
seize  the  Pontiff,  and  carry  him  off  to  Constantino- 
ple. Anthemius,  an  officer  of  Theodora,  wife  of 
Justinian,  was  charged  with  the  execution  of  this 
project.  He  was  ordered  by  the  Emperor,  to  seize 
the  Pontiff  wherever  he  could  meet  him,  excepting 
at  St.  Peter's,  which  he  consented  to  respect  as  the 
inviolable  asylum  of  the  head  of  Christianity. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  Feast  of  St.  Cecilia, 
Vigilius,  according  to  custom,  went  to  celebrate  the^ 
Holy  Sacrifice  in  the  church  of  the  martyr.  The 
concourse  of  people  was  great,  as  this  day  was  also 
the  anniversary  of  Vigilius7  episcopal  consecration,  or 
of  his  exaltation  to  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  The 
Pope,  following  the  example  of  his  predecessors,  was 
engaged  in  distributing  largesses  to  the  people.  The 
emissary  from  Byzantium  succeeded  in  eluding  the 
vigilance  of  the  faithful;  and,  by  a  bold  stroke,  the 
Pontiff  was  seized  and  carried  to  the  banks  of  the 
Tiber,  which  flows  near  the  church.  He  was  placed 
on  board  a  vessel,  and  in  spite  of  the  cries  and  moans 
of  the  people,  taken  away  from  Eome.  His  absence 
lasted  during  seven  of  the  most  stormy  years  of  his 
troubled  pontificate.* 

*  Anastas.  In  Vigilio.  Pagi.  Breviarum  Pontificum  Romaiio- 
rum,  Tome  i.  page  295. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  179 

Pelagius  succeeded  liim  in  the  Apostolic  chair, 
but  was  soon  followed  by  John  III.,  who  governed 
the  Church,  until  572.  The  Liber  Pontificalis  re- 
marks of  this  Pope,  that :  "  He  venerated  the  ceme- 
teries of  the  holy  martyrs,  and  restored  many  defaced 
monuments  to  their  original  state."*  This  passage 
of  the  Papal  chronicle  leads  us  back  to  the  Cata- 
combs, which  had  been  cruelly  ravaged  thirty  years 
before  the  pontificate  of  John  III.  The  sleep  of  the 
martyrs  had  been  disturbed  by  the  barbarians;  the 
noise  of  military  arms  had  been  heard  even  beneath 
the  sacred  vaults  where  the  conquerors  of  Pagan 
Home  reposed  in  peace.  In  586,  under  the  pontifi- 
cate of  St.  Silverius,  Rome  had  been  besieged  during 
an  entire  year,  by  the  Goths  under  Vitiges.  Not 
satisfied  with  destroying-}- the  magnificent  aqueducts, 
which,  flowing  over  the  Appian,  Latin,  and  Tibur- 
tine  Ways,  had,  for  centuries,  supplied  Rome  with 
water,  these  barbarians  had  also  descended  into  the 
cemeteries,  and,  with  sacrilegious  hands,  had  demol- 
ished the  decorations  with  which  the  Pontiffs  and 
faithful  had  embellished  the  sacred  crypts.  They 
had  vented  their  blind  and  impious  rage  even  upon 
the  inscriptions  placed  near  the  martyrs'  tombs. 

The  pontificate  of  Vigilius  was  too  stormy  to  per- 
mit him  to  repair  such  devastations.  We  have, 
nevertheless,  a  proof  of  the  interest  he  took  in  this 
pious  work,  in  the  inscription  which  is  still  extant, 
relating  to  three  holy  martyrs  whose  Damasian  epi- 
taph had  been  destroyed  by  the  Goths.     These  mar- 

*  Hie  amavit  et  restauravit  Ccemeteria  sanctorum  niartyruni. 
Anastas.  in  Joanne  iii. 

f  Proeop.  do  bello  Gothico.  Lib.  ii.  cap.  iii. 


180  LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

tyrs  were  Vitalis,  Martial,  and  Alexander,  and  the 
following  is  the  inscription  found  on  the  monument 
substituted  by  Vigilius,  for  that  broken  by  the  bar- 
barians: "When  the  Goths  encamped  beneath  the 
walls  of  Eome,  in  their  senseless  triumph,  ignorant 
of  the  overthrow  which  awaited  them,  they  began  by 
declaring  war  against  the  Saints.  In  their  sacrilegi- 
ous insolence,  they  overthrew  the  tombs  consecrated 
to  these  martyrs,  from  the  earliest  ages.  Damasus, 
divinely  inspired,  had  proclaimed  them  worthy  of 
veneration,  and  had  composed  verses  in  their  honor. 
But  although  the  sacred  marble  which  bore  this 
inscription  has  been  broken,  it  is  not  just  that  their 
memory  should  perish  forever.  Therefore,  Pope 
Vigilius,  whose  heart  was  deeply  afflicted  at  such  an 
outrage,  repaired  the  sepulchres,  after  the  enemy  had 
been  driven  from  Kome."* 

We  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Ceme- 
teries of  the  Appian,  suffered  very  much  at  this  time 
from  the  insults  of  the  barbarians,  who  had  so  brutally 
destroyed  the  aqueduct  of  this  Way.  After  the  de- 
feat of  Vitiges,  the  Goths  again  besieged  Eome  under 
the  command  of  Totila.     They  must  have  naturally 

*  Dum  peritura  GetsB  posuissent  castra  sub  urbe, 

Moverunt  Sanctis  bella  nefanda  prius. 
Istaque  sacrilege-  verterunt  corde  sepulchra 

Martyribus  quondam  rite  sacrata  piis. 
Quos  monstrante  Deo,  Damasus  sibi  Papa  probatos 

Affixo  monuit  carmine  jure  coli. 
Sed  periit  titulus  confracto  marmore  sanctus, 

Nee  tamen  bis  iterum  posse  latere  fuit. 
Diruta  Vigilius  nam  mox  bsec  Papa  gemiscens, 

Hostibus  expulsis,  omne  novavit  opus. 
Gruter  (Inscript.  antiq.  tome  iii,  page  mclxxi.  4) 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  181 

wished  to  search  these  immense  subterranean  galleries, 
either  to  seek  treasures,  or  in  the  hope  of  finding  some 
secret  entrance  into  the  city.  Their  Arian  fury  was  at 
this  time  exercised  against  the  Catholic  sanctuaries, 
and  the  most  precious  monuments  of  antiquity  were 
exposed  to  their  violence.  It  is  certain,  that  in  the 
VIII.  century,  Cecilia's  tomb  had  no  longer  any  pre- 
cise inscription,  since  the  Lombards  vainly  sought  the 
Virgin's  body  that  they  might  carry  it  away.  We 
may,  therefore,  conclude,  with  sufficient  probability, 
that  this  marble  was  destroyed  by  the  Goths  in  the 
VI.  century,  and  that  it  was  not  renewed  because  the 
faithful  were  so  well  acquainted  with  the  locality  of 
the  martyr's  tomb.  The  pious  zeal  of  Pope  Vigilius 
with  regard  to  the  three  martyrs,  of  whom  we  have 
just  spoken,  refers  principally  to  the  rebuilding  of 
their  sepulchres,  to  which  he  added  a  new  inscrip- 
tion. We  have  no  proof  that  either  he,  or  his  suc- 
cessors, undertook  the  restoration  of  all  those  which 
had  been  defaced.  The  faithful  of  Eome,  who  at  this 
time,  frequently  visited  the  cemeteries,  had  not  for- 
gotten the  tombs  of  the  principal  martyrs  ;  the  work 
undertaken  by  John  III.  must  therefore  have  been 
principally  the  consolidation  of  the  galleries  and  halls, 
and  the  restoration  of  the  sepulchres  injured  by  the 
barbarians. 

We  learn  from  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  that  under 
this  Pontiff,  divine  service  was  not  only  still  per- 
formed in  the  sacred  crypts,  on  the  days  commemora- 
ting the  triumph  of  the  Martyrs,  but  that  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  was  offered  there  regularly  every  week 
John  III.  ordained  that  the  Lateran  Church  should 

16 


182  LIFE    OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

furnish  the  bread,  wine,  and  lights,  required  every 
Sunday  for  the  holy  functions.* 

This  pious  Pontiff  displayed  on  another  occasion 
his  confidence  in  the  protection  of  the  holy  martyrs. 

The  Eomans,  annoyed  by  the  presence  of  Narses 
in  Italy,  where  he  represented  the  authority  of  the 
Emperor  Justinian,  formed  a  cabal  to  oblige  this 
great  general  to  abandon  the  government  of  the  pen- 
insula. They  even  went  so  far  as  to  write  to  the 
Emperor  that  they  preferred  the  tyranny  of  the  Lom- 
bards to  that  of  Narses.  The  latter,  wounded  by  the 
ingratitude  of  the  Eomans,  retired  to  Campania,  and 
in  his  indignation  invited  the  Lombards  to  take  pos- 
session of  a  city  which  had  so  ill  requited  his  services. 
In  reality,  this  intrigue  had  been  plotted  by  the 
schismatics  of  Italy,  who  never  ceased  protesting 
against  the  V.  General  Council  whose  authority  Jus- 
tin, as  a  Catholic  prince,  sustained,  John  III.  trembled 
for  his  country,  and  hastened  to  Narses.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  him  to  return  to  Eome ;  but  the 
Pontiff  had  become  odious  to  the  party  whose  designs 
he  had  frustrated.  On  his  return,  instead  of  going 
to  the  Lateran  Palace,  he  concealed  himself,  as  Urban 
had  formerly  done,  under  the  shadows  of  the  martyrs' 
tombs.  He  chose  that  part  of  the  Cemetery  of  Pre- 
textatus,  which,  in  honor  of  the  husband  and  brother 
of  Cecilia,  was  called  the  Cemetery  of  Saints  Tibur- 
tius  and  Valerian.f  Over  the  funereal  galleries,  where 

*  Instituit  ut  oblationes  et  amulse,  vel  luminaria,  per  eadem 
Ccemeteria  omni  die  Dominico  de  Lateranis  minis trarentur. 
Anastas.  in  Joanne  iii. 

f  Tunc  sanctissimus  Joannes  Papa  retinuit  se  in  Coemeterio 
sanctorum  Tiburtii  et  Valeriani.  Anastas.  In  Joanne  iii. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  183 

the  Pontiff  came  to  learn  patience  from  the  example 
of  the  holy  martyrs,  rose  the  Church  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  surrounded  by  several  buildings  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  priests  and  different  function- 
aries. John  III.  resided  some  time  in  this  obscure 
retreat.  He  celebrated  the  divine  Mysteries  some- 
times in  the  Church,  and  sometimes  in  the  subterra- 
nean chapels ;  and  the  Popes'  Chronicle  adds  that  he 
even  consecrated  several  Bishops  while  concealed  in 
the  cemetery.* 

At  the  same  time,  about  the  year  570,  the  holy 
Archbishop  of  Eavenna,  Agnellus,  finished  the 
mosaics  of  the  superb  church,  erected,  under  the 
title  of  St.  Apollinaris,  by  the  great  king  Theo- 
doric.f  We  may  even  attribute  this  splendid  em- 
bellishment to  that  munificent  prince  who  died  about 
the  year  526.  However  this  may  be,  this  vast  group- 
ings of  mosaics  is  of  great  interest  in  our  history, 
because,  of  all  the  monuments  which  Christian  art 
dedicated  to  the  memory  of  St,  Cecilia,  it  is  the  most 
ancient  which  has  been  preserved  to  our  own  days. 
It  represents  the  following  picture : 

"A  band  of  twenty-five  martyrs  advance  towards 
our  Saviour,  to  present  him  the  crown  they  hold 
in  their  hands,  whilst  twenty-two  Saints  direct  their 
steps  towards  the  Mother  of  Christ,  who  holds  her 
divine  Son  upon  her  knees.  The  name  of  each  vir- 
gin is  written  above  her  head  :  St.  Cecilia  is  placed 
between  Lucy  and  Eulalia.     They  are  all  standing 

*  Habitavit  ibi  multo  tempore,  ut  etiam  episcopos  ibidem  con- 
secraret.  Anastas.  in  Joanne  iii. 

f  "  Vid  Ciampini.  Vetera  Monimenta,  tome  ii,  page  100." 
The  Mosaic  is  engraven  in  full  upon  several  plates. 


184  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

dressed  in  rich  and  elegant  costumes,  and  holding 
crowns  in  their  hands.  According  to  the  style  of 
the  Byzantine  mosaics,  a  tree  is  placed  between  each 
figure,  to  indicate  that  those  represented,  inhabit  the 
garden  of  heaven."  The  sixth  century  closed  during 
the  pontificate  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great,  who  occu- 
pied the  Holy  See,  until  the  fourth  j^ear  of  the  fol- 
lowing century.  This  illustrious  Pontiff  arranged 
the  Liturgy  in  its  present  form,  and  gave  to  the 
office  of  St.  Cecilia  the  prominent  place  it  occupies. 
A  fearful  contagion  having  desolated  Rome  in  590, 
Gregory,  in  order  to  avert  the  anger  of  God,  ordered 
seven  processions,  which  were  to  commence  from 
seven  different  churches,  and  all  to  repair  to  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Mary  Major,  the  last  invariable  refuge 
of  the  faithful  in  such  calamities.  The  first  proces- 
sion, which  was  that  of  the  clerks,  advanced  from  the 
Church  of  St.  John  Lateran  ;  the  second,  composed 
of  laymen,  from  that  of  St.  Marcellus  ;  the  third,  of 
monks,  from  the  church  of  Sts.  John  and  Paul ;  the 
fourth,  that  of  the  religious,  from  the  church  of  Sts. 
Cosmas  and  Damian ;  the  fifth,  that  of  married  women, 
from  the  church  of  St.  Stephen;  the  sixth,  that  of 
widows,  from  the  church  of  St.  Vitaiis;  and,  finally, 
the  seventh,  composed  of  the  poor,  and  of  children, 
from  the  church  of  Cecilia.* 

*  Litania  Clericorum  exeat  ab  Ecclesia  beati  Joannis  Baptistse. 
Litania  virorum,  ab  Ecclesia  beati  Martyris  Marcelli.  Litania 
monacliorum,  ab  Ecclesia  martyrum  Joannis  et  Pauli.  Litania 
ancillarmn  Dei,  ab  Ecclesia  beatorum  martyrum  Cosmae  et  Dami- 
ani.  Litania  feminarum  conjugatarnm,  ab  Ecclesia  beati  primi 
martyris  Stephani.  Litania  viduarum,  ab  Ecclesia  beati  martyris 
Vitaiis.  Litania  pauperum  et  infantium,  ab  Ecclesia  beata?  mar- 
tyris Caecilise.  Oratio  ad  pi eb em,  de  mortalitate.  S.  Gregorii  opp., 
tome  v,  page  278.  Edit  GaUiccioli. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  .     185 

The  Pontiff  thus  placed  under  the  protection  of  the 
martyr,  the  feeble  and  the  suffering,  to  whom,  during 
lier  life,  she  was  so  devoted.  The  Lord  heard  the 
supplications  of  his  people,  and  through  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  the  exterminating 
Angel  was  commanded  to  sheathe  his  sword. 

The  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia  seems  to  have  been  re- 
built and  rededicated  under  Gregory's  Pontificate. 
At  least,  we  may  draw  this  conclusion  from  the 
famous  charter  of  St.  Paschal,  of  which  we  shall  soon 
speak.* 

It  is  not  surprising  that  towards  the  close  of  the 
sixth  century,  this  edifice  needed  repairing,  and  the 
fact  recorded  in  the  charter  of  St.  Paschal,  connects  the 
name  of  St.  Gregory  in  a  particular  manner  with,  the 
Church  of  the  great  Martyr.  Moreover,  this  fact  is 
confirmed  by  the  very  expressions  of  St.  Paschal,  which 
are  to  be  read  in  every  copy  of  his  charter,  and  in 
which  he  declares  that  he  has  nominated  St.  Gregory 
as  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  monastery  which  he  erected 
near  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia. 

A  last  fact  relative  to  the  homage  paid  by  St. 
Gregory  the  Great,  to  St.  Cecilia,  may  be  found  in 
the  present  he  sent  to  Theodolinda,  the  Queen  of  the 
Lombards,  of  several  vials  containing  oil  from  the 
lamps  which  burned  in  the  cemetery  of  the  martyrs. 

It  is  well  known  how  great  was  the  paternal 
affection  of  the  Pontiff  towards  this  princess,  w^ho  re- 
mained true  to  her  faith  in  the  midst  of  an  Arian 

*  "  Titulus  quern  pise  devotionis  affectu  sanctus  Papa  primus 
Gregorius  doctor  eximius  dicaverat."  Sec  the  text  of  this  char* 
ter,  with  this  important  version,  in  Bosio,  Acta  S.  Ccicili(Py  p. 
44,  and  in  Laderchi,  p.  204. 

10* 


186  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

court,  and  who  had  the  happiness  of  converting  her 
nation  to  Catholicity.  His  intention  in  sending  her 
these  vials  of  holy  oil,  was,  that  she  might  unite  with 
the  faithful  of  Eome  in  venerating  the  martyrs.  To 
facilitate  this,  he  sent  her  at  the  same  time  a  topo- 
graphical index  of  the  different  Saints  from  whose 
lamps  the  oil  was  taken,  that  so  she  might  picture 
more  vividly  to  herself  the  sacred  ways  of  Christian 
Eome.  This  valuable  list,  written  upon  parchment, 
is  still  preserved  in  the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist at  Monza.  The  names  of  the  Saints  are  frequently 
grouped  together  according  to  the  locality  of  their 
tombs  in  the  crypts.  This  order  was  also  indicated 
upon  each  vial  by  means  of  small  labels,  most  of  which 
are  still  preserved,  either  fastened  to  the  bottles  or 
detached  from  them.  In  most  cases  the  oil  taken  from 
lamps  belonging  to  several  tombs,. was  mingled  in  one 
vial.  That  relating  to  our  illustrious  Martyr  bears 
the  following  inscription : 

SCA.  SAPIENTIA^   SCA  SPES.    SCA  FIDES.     SCA 

CARITAS.     SCA  CAECILIA.     SCS  TARSICIVS. 
SCS  CORNILIVS.    ET  MVLTA  MILLIA  SCORVM. 

This  inscription  at  once  carries  us  back  to  the  Ap- 
pian  Way.  We  find  in  it  the  names  of  four  celebrated 
Eoman  Saints,  St.  Sophia  with  her  three  daughters, 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  who  like  their  mother 
obtained  the  crown  of  martyrdom.*  The  place  of 
their  sepulture  was  not  positively  known,  but  this 
monument  proves  to  us  that  it  was  upon  the  right 
side  of  the  Appian  Way.  On  the  parchment,  these 
Saints  are  placed  between  Saints  Sotera  and  Cecilia, 
who  were  incontestibly  a  short  distance  from  each 
*  Acta  SS.  Augusti.  Tome  i.  Die  1°  Augusti. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  187 

other  in  the  same  region  of  the  Callistus  Cemetery ; ' 
hence  we  find  their  names  in  the  same  inscription 
with  that  of  the  glorious  Martyr  in  whom  we  are  so 
deeply  interested.  After  these  four  names,  comes  that 
of  Cecilia,  followed  by  that  of  Tarsicius,  who,  as  we 
have  said,  reposed  near  her  in  the  cemetery  of  Sixtus ; 
St.  Cornelius  is  the  next  mentioned ;  his  tomb,  re- 
cently discovered  upon  the  Appian,  forms  another 
proof  .of  our  assertion;  and  the  number  of  martyrs 
mentioned  later,  confirms  all  we  find  in  the  guide- 
books relative  to  the  Cemetery  of  Callistus.  We 
have,  therefore,  a  monument  of  the  Gregorian  period 
respecting  St.  Cecilia.  This  modest  vial  has  been 
preserved  for  centuries,  and  a  portion  of  the  oil  it 
contains  was  taken,  during  the  pontificate  of  St.  Gre- 
gory, from  a  lamp  which  burned  near  the  virgin's 
tomb.  The  crypt  of  Cecilia  and  Sixtus  has  since  been 
laid  waste ;  the  monuments  and  lamps  have  dis- 
appeared ;  Cecilia's  body  has  been  carried  to  Eome ;  the 
subterranean  vaults,  formerly  the  object  of  such  ardent 
veneration,  have  been  silent  and  desolate  for  centuries, 
whilst  the  vial  still  exists,  and  is  a  proof  of  the  vene- 
ration of  the  Eomans  of  the  sixth  century  towards 
this  spouse  of  Christ.  But  this  is  not  all.  Another 
vial  in  the  treasury  of  Monza,  containing  oil  from  the 
lamps  which  burned  near  the  tombs  of  Cecilia's  hus- 
band and  brother,  bears  the  following  inscription : 

SCI  SEBASTIANI.     SCS  EVTYCIVS.     SCS  QVIR1NVS. 

SCS  VALERIANVS.    SCS  TIBVRT1VS.     S.  MAXI 

MVS.  SCS  VRBANVS.    SCS  IANVARIVS. 

Here  we  again  find  the  many  groups  of  martyrs  we 
described  as  reposing  at  the  extremity  of  the  Callistus 
Cemetery,  upon  the  right  of  the  Appian:  Sebastian, 


188  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Eutychius,  and  Quirinus.  Next  follow  three  heroes, 
Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus,  who  were  buried 
■upon  the  left  side  of  the  Appian.  Sts.  Urban  and 
Januarius,  whose  tombs  were  situated  in  the  same 
region,  are  very  naturally  added  to  the  preceding. 
Here  again  a  fragile  vial,  preserved  by  the  piety  of 
the  faithful,  serves,  at  the  present  day,  to  prove  the 
faith  and  confidence  reposed  by  the  Christians  of  Eome 
and  the  Queen  of  the  Lombards,  in  the  noble  heroes 
whose  memory  we  have  celebrated.  These  bottles 
were  carried  to  Theodolinda  by  a  person  named  John, 
who  signed  the  parchment  upon  which  they  are  de- 
scribed, without  adding  any  titles  to  his  signature, 
but  those  of  sinner,  wretched  and  unworthy.45.  Before 
concluding  this  chapter,  we  will  mention  a  circum- 
stance which  refers  at  least  indirectly  to  our  history. 
St.  Eulogius,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  wrote  to  St. 
Gregory,  begging  that  he  would  send  him  a  copy  of 
the  Deeds  of  the  Martyrs,  formerly  collected  by  Euse- 
bius.  The  holy  Pope  answered  that  he  knew  of  no 
Acts  of  the  Martyrs  compiled  by  Eusebius,  except 
those  which  are  still  found  in  his  Ecclesiastical 
History.     UI  know  of  no  other,"  adds  the  Pontiff,  j 

*  Marini.  Papiri  diplomatici.  N.  cxliii. 
f"  Nulla  in  Archivio."  Moretti  observes  with  reason  that,  these 
words  of  St.  Gregory  should  he  understood  in  a  relative,  not  in 
an  absolute  sense  :  pauca  quccdam.  The  holy  Pope  had  just  told 
the  Patriarch  of  Alexandria  that  the  Roman  Church  possessed  a 
book  containing  the  names  of  nearly  all  the  Martyrs  pene  omnium 
Martyrum,  meaning  the  Martyrology  ;  it  is  very  evident  that 
there  is  no  proportion  between  the  number  of  Acts  now  extant, 
and  that  of  the  Martyrs  whose  names  we  know.  Were  the  Acts 
of  St.  Cecilia  to  be  found  among  the  authentic  collection  of  which 
St.  Gregory  speaks  ?  There  is  no  doubt  of  it  ;  otherwise  the 
Roman  Church  would  not  have  taken  from  them  the  hymna 
consecrated  to  this  Martyr  upon  her  festival. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  189 

either  in  the  Archives  of  our  Church  or  in  the  Eoman 
Libraries,  unless  it  be  a  small  number  contained  in 
a  simple  volume.' " 


CHAPTER  XXL 

EVENTS  RELATING  TO  CECILIA  AND  HER  BASILICA  THROUGHOUT  THE 
SEVENTH  AND  EIGHTH  CENTURIES.  IN  THE  SEVENTH,  THE  BODIES 
OF  THE  MARTYRS  ARE  DISINTERRED  AND  TRANSLATED  TO  THE 
CHURCHES  OF  ROME. 

Lsr  610,  Pope  St.  Boniface  IV.  obtained  from  the 
Emperor  Phocas,  the  famous  temple,  known  as  the 
Pantheon,  to  be  converted  into  a  church.  We  will 
not  enlarge  here  upon  this  subject.  Joseph  de 
Maistre  has  treated  it  so  nobly,  that  it  would  be 
presumptuous  even  to  attempt  it.*  In  one  of  its 
circumstances,  however,  the  Christian  inauguration 
of  the  Pantheon  is  of  some  importance  in  the  annals 
of  our  saint,  and  we  cannot  pass  over  it  in  silence. 
Until  the  year  when  this  took  place,  the  Eomans 
had  not  thought  of  removing  the  remains  of  the 
martyrs  to  the  numerous  churches  of  the  city.  The 
faithful  chose  their  sepulchres  by  the  side  of  their 
valiant  protectors,  hoping  to  rise  with  more  confi- 
dence in  their  company  on  the  day  of  the  general 
resurrection.  Even  after  peace  had  been  restored  to 
the  Church,  the  Popes  themselves  desired  to  be 
buried  near  the  martyrs.  We  have  already  spoken 
of  St.  Damasus'  humble  wish  to  repose  with  the 
saints  of  the  Appian  way,  and  of  his  having  erected 
*  Du  Pape.  Tome  II.,  pages  284-288. 


190  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

his  own  tomb  at  the  entrance  of  the  Ardeatine  Crypts. 
His  predecessors,  Mark,  Julius,  and  Liberius,  ex- 
pressed the  same  desire.  The  first  selected  his  sep- 
ulchre in  the  cemetery  of  Balbina,  on  the  Ardeatine 
Way ;  the  second,  in  the  cemetery  of  Callipodius  on 
the  Aurelian ;  and  the  third  in  the  Cemetery  of 
Priscilla  on  the  Salerian.  Siricius  and  Celestinus 
prepared  their  tombs  on  this  same  AY  ay.  Anastasius 
and  Innocent  in  the  cemetery  called  Ad  ursum  pilea- 
tum  ;  Zosimus  in  that  of  Cyriacus  in  agro,  Verano  ; 
Boniface  in  that  of  St.  Felicitas. 

Everything  seemed  to  promise  undisturbed  repose 
to  these  venerated  bodies,  confided  to  the  silent 
vaults,  which  even  the  Pagans  had  rarely  violated 
during  the  persecutions. 

But  Almighty  God,  in  His  Providence,  had  other 
designs  with  regard  to  the  crypts  of  the  Holy  City. 
He  intended  they  should  be  an  inexhaustible  mine, 
from  which  the  bones  of  the  Saints. should  be  trans- 
lated, to  repose  under  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  and  thus 
signify  the  union  of  the  members  with  their  divine 
Chief. 

We  have  seen  John  III.  repairing  the  cemeteries 
after  the  incursions  of  the  Goths ;  these  barbarians 
had  scarcely  disappeared,  wrhen  the  Lombards  began 
to  establish  their  power  in  the  Italian  peninsula. 
They  frequently  besieged  Eome,  and  while  encamped 
round  the  city,  often  entered  the  crypts  and  com- 
mitted many  sacrilegious  devastations.  From  that 
time,  the  Popes  felt  it  necessary  to  make  the  succes- 
sive translations  which  almost  depopulated  the  ceme- 
teries.    But  such  was,  according  to  the  beautiful  idea 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  191 

of  Prudentius,  the  holy  fertility  of  the  Eoman  soil,* 
that  although  immense  cohorts  of  martyrs  reascended 
in  triumph  to  the  light  of  day  during  the  seventh, 
eighth,  and  ninth  centuries,  many  tombs  are  still 
found  from  time  to  time,  some  with  the  martyr's 
name  engraven  upon  the  sepulchral  stone,  f  others 
bearing  no  inscription,  the  names  of  those  who  re- 
pose within  them,  being  known  only  to  Christ,  for 
whom  they  shed  their  blood.;}:  The  first  solemn 
translation  was  made  by  order  of  St.  Boniface,  at 
the  dedication  of  the  Pantheon.  Twenty-eight 
chariots,  filled  with  bones  of  the  martyrs,  taken 
from  the  different  crypts,  traversed  the  streets  of 
Eome,  and  St.  Boniface  deposited  under  the  new 
altar  the  relics  mutilated  for  Christ,  but  reserved  for 
an  endless  triumph. § 

*     Vix  fama  nota  est,  abditis 
Quam  plena  Sanctis  Roma  sit, 
Quam  dives  urbanuin  solum 
Sacris  sepulchris  floreat. 

Prudentius,  peri  stephanon,  Hymn.  S.  Laurentii. 
f  Plurima  litterulis  signata  sepulchra  loquuntur 

Martyris  aut  nomen,  aut  epigramma  aliquod. 
Ibid.  Hymnus  S.  Hippolyti 
X  Quorum  solus  habet  comperta  vocabula  Christus. 

Ibid. 
§  Boldetti.  Osservazioni  sopra  i  Cimiterj  de'  santi  Martiri. 
Page  6ti6,  We  readily  aceept  this  tradition,  wliicli  is  based 
upon  an  ancient  manuscript  found  by  Baronius,  MartyroJ.  Roman. 
ad  diem  xiii.  Maii.  in  the  archives  of  Sanctse  Maria?  ad  Martyres. 
Facts  of  this  nature  are  seldom  invented,  and  although  the  mar- 
tyrs were  removed  from  the  Catacombs  principally  during  the 
eighth  century,  it  is  natural  to  admit  that  the  ravages  made  bv 
the  Goths,  in  the  sixth,  must  have  so  completely  destroyed  some 
of  the  galleries  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  repair  them.  The 
Pontiff  wished  to  ensure  a  suitable  ami  safe  resting-place  for  the 


192  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

The  temple  of  all  the  Gods  received  the  name  of 
"  Sanctse  Mariae  ad  Martyres,"  thus  blending  under 
this  title  the  great  Queen  of  heaven  and  earth,  and 
those  to  whom  the  Christian  Church  owes  one  of  the 
most  invincible  arguments  of  her  divinity.  Cecilia 
was  not  among  those  who  were  removed  by  Boni- 
face. Two  centuries  were  destined  to  elapse  before 
the  tomb  sealed  by  St.  Urban  was  to  be  opened. 

We  will  not  enumerate  the  different  translations 
made  by  the  successors  of  St.  Boniface  up  to  the  pon- 
tificate of  Paschal  L,  who  had  the  glory  of  transferring 
Cecilia's  body  to  the  altar  of  her  Basilica.     These 
imposing  translations  continued  until  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury.   After  this  period,  subterranean  Eome  remained 
in  the  silence  of  its  sacred  gloom  for  nearly  three 
centuries,  not  being  even  disturbed  by  the  ravages 
made  by  the  troops  under  the  command  of  the  Con- 
stable de  Bourbon.     Men  shrunk  from  these  gloomy 
cities  of  the  dead,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  corri- 
dors which  opened  near  the  Basilicas  or  in  the  light 
of  day,  the  immense  city  of  Martyrs  was  rarely  visited 
by  the  faithful.  Towards  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, Borne  awoke  to  the  consciousness  of  the  marvels 
buried  in  her  bosom,  thanks  to  the  courageous  de- 
hones  of  the  saints,   and  the  dedication  of  an  edifice  like  the 
Pantheon,  furnished  him  an  opportunity  of  carrying  out  his  de- 
sign. It  is  true  that  the  Liber  Pontificalis  does  not  give  in  detail 
this  translation  of  the  martyrs,  but  merely  remarks  that  Boni- 
face IV.,    in   dedicating  the    Pantheon,    placed   therein,  some 
relics,  et  reliquias  in  ea  collocavit,  but  this  indication,  which  of 
itself  would  be  insufficient,  on  account  of  the  vague  idea  con- 
veyed by  the  word  reliquias,  is  fully  explained  by  the  testimony 
of  the  manuscript  cited  by  Baronius,  whilst  it  also  accords  with 
historical  conjectures. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  193 

votedness  of  Antonio  Bosio,  who,  with  pious  boldness 
and  profound  erudition,  entered  upon  this  colossal 
enterprise  of  exploration.  In  the  following  century, 
the  Apostolic  See  authorized  the  search  for  the  bodies 
of  the  Martyrs,  and  determined  with  great  prudence 
the  only  unquestionable  signs  by  which  they  could 
be  discerned.  We  shall,  before  long,  again  visit  these 
mysterious  vaults,  and  return  with  the  precious  trea- 
sure too  long  hidden  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  In 
the  meantime,  the  Roman  faith  was  being  propagated 
throughout  the  north  of  Europe  by  the  indefatigable 
preaching  of  the  Benedictines.  From  the  day  when 
St.  Gregory  sent  the  monk  Augustine  to  plant  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  in  the  Isle  of  Britain,  a  number 
of  apostolic  preachers,  principally  monks,  continued 
up  to  the  twelfth  century  to  preach  to  the  Saxons, 
Germans,  Scandinavians,  Slavonians,  and  Livonians. 
They  all  came  to  visit  the  Eternal  City,  some  before 
beginning  their  missions,  others  in  the  midst  of  their 
combats,  eager  to  imitate  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
who,  after  being  wrapt  to  the  third  heaven,  neverthe- 
less thought  it  his  duty,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  to  visit 
St.  Peter  and  compare  his  gospel  with  that  of  the 
supreme  Pontiff.*  In  696,  St.  Willibrord,  Apostle 
of  Friesland,  visited  Rome.  Pope  St.  Sergius  wished 
to  consecrate  as  bishop  this  herald  of  the  divine  word. 
On  the  feast  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  in  her  Basilica,  he 
imposed  hands  upon  Willibrord,  to  whom  he  gave 
the  name  of  Clement,  as  a  new  link  to  bind  him  to 
the  Roman  Church,  which  had  been  so  gloriously 
illustrated  by  this  disciple  of  St.  Peter,  f     Thus  the 

*  1  Gal.  18.        |  Von.  Beda.  Histor.  Eccles.  Anglo,  lib.  v.,  cap.  xii. 

17 


194  LIFE   OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

episcopal  see  of  Utrecht  was  founded  by  St.  Willi- 
brord  under  the  auspices  of  St,  Cecilia.  About  the 
same  time,  a  marvellous  book  appeared  in  the  Isle  of 
Britain,  consecrated  to  the  glory  and  merit  of  Christ- 
ian Virginity,  and  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  those 
written  upon  the  same  subject  by  Saints  Cyprian, 
Methodius,  Ambrose,  and  Augustin.  Its  author  was 
the  monk  St.  Adhelm,  Bishop  of  the  Western  Saxons, 
who  thus  celebrated,  in  the  most  melodious  verse  and 
delightful  prose,  the  glory  and  happiness  of  the  Spouse 
of  Christ.  Such  was  the  elevated  opinion,  entertained 
by  the  pious  Bishop  of  Sherburn,  of  Cecilia's  merits 
and  the  honor  she  enjoyed  in  heaven,  that  after  having 
exalted  the  incomparable  prerogative  of  Mary,  the 
Queen  of  Virgins,  he  places  Cecilia  first  in  the  rank 
of  those  who  follow  her  to  the  heavenly  spouse.  She 
is  attended  by  Agatha,  Lucy,  Eugenia,  Agnes,  Doro- 
thy, and  many  others,  whose  virtues  he  extols.  This 
holy  prelate  died  in  709.  He  composed,  about  the 
year  680,  this  graceful  work  which  he  styles  "  de  Laude 
Virginitatis,"  and  borrowed  from  our  Acts  all  that  he 
says   with   regard   to   St.   Cecilia.*     England,    that 

*  We  transcribe  tlie  verses  of  St.  Adhelm  as  being  the  most 
ancient  poems  extant  on  St.  Cecilia  after  the  hymn  of  the  Gothic 
Breviary. 

Porro  Caeciliae  vivacem  condere  laudem, 
Quae  valeat  digno  metrorum  pagina  versu  ? 
Quae  sponsum  proprium  convertit  dogmate  sancto, 
Mellea  carnalis  contemnens  ludicra  luxus  : 
Basia  dum  potius  dilexit  dulcia  Christi, 
Candida  praepulchris  complect  ens  colla  lacertis. 
Quamvis  harmoniis  praesultent  organa  multis, 
Musica  Pierio  resonent,  et  carmina  cantu  ; 
Non  tamen  inflexit  fallax  praecordia  mentis 
Pompa  prophanorum,  quae  nectit  retia  Sanctis, 
Ne  forto  properet  paTadisi  ad  gaudia  miles. 


LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  195 

daughter  of  the  Eoman  Church,  had  therefore  re- 
ceived from  her  august  mother,  together  with  the  holy 
gospels,  the  touching  recital  of  the  virtues  and  tri- 
umphs of  Cecilia.  We  have  another  proof  of  this  in 
the  martyrology,  which  Bede,  the  celebrated  doctor 
and  historian  of  the  Anglo  Saxon  Church,  composed 
about  the  same  time  in  his  monastery  of  Weremouth. 
The  eulogium  which  he  consecrated  to  Cecilia,  not- 
withstanding its  brevity,  contains  an  analysis  of  the 
Acts.  It  is  stated  that  the  Saint  converted  to  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  her  husband  Valerian  and  Ti- 
burtius  his  brother ;  that  she  prepared  them  for  mar- 
tyrdom ;  and  that  she  herself,  after  having  withstood 
the  fire,  perished  by  the  sworcl,  under  the  Prefect  of 
Rome,,  Almachius.*  m 

Taliter  interea  compellans  vocibus,  infit, 
Dum  secreta  petunt,  concessa  lege  thororum : 
Angelus  en,  inquit,  superis  tranavit  ab  astris  : 
Hie  me,  patronus,  coelesti  foedere  fulcit, 
Ut  nequeam  prorsus  quidquam  carnalis  amare  ; 
Namq'ue  meum  jugiter  conservat  corpus  in  sevum, 
Ut  nnllus  valeat  spurco  succensus  amore 
Contrectare  mea  probroso  crimine  membra  : 
Sed  mox  Angelicis  ulciscens  vindicat  armis, 
Qui  me  pollutis  nituntur  prendere  palmis. 
Sic  devota  Deo  convertit  foemina  sponsum. 
Nee  non,  et  levirum  solvens  errore  vetusto, 
Donee  credentes  sumpsissent  dona  lavacri. 
Facti  municipes  in  summis  arcibus,  ambo 
Martyres  effecti,  carnis  tormenta  luentes. 

Biblioth.   Vet.    Pat.,  tome  xiii.  page  14. 

*  X.  Kal.  Natale  S.  Caeoilise  Virginia,  quae  et  sponsum  suum 
Valerianum  et  fratrem  ejus  Tiburtium  ad  credendum  Christo  ao 
martyrium  perdocuit :  et  ipsa  deinde  martyrizavit,  ignem  quidem 
superans,  Red  ferro  occisa,  sub  Almachio  Urbis  Pr»fecto.  Marty- 
rplogium  Bedat.  Ada  SS.  Martiiy  tome  ii.  page  xxxix. 


196  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

About  the  year  731,  St,  Gregory  III.  undertook  to 
repair  the  Churches  of  the  Pretextatus  Cemetery. 
He  rebuilt  the  arch  of  that  of  St,  Tiburtius  and  Va- 
lerian, which  seemed  fast  decaying.    He  also  directed 
his  attention  to  the  Basilica  of  Sts.  Urban  and  Janu- 
arius,  which  he  repaired  like  the  former.     In  the 
course  of  time,  these  venerable  edifices,  more  and 
more  neglected  in  consequence  of  the  martyrs'  bodies 
having  been  transferred  to  the  city,  crumbled  away, 
some  partly,  others  entirely,  and  covered  the  ground 
with  their  ruins.     The  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  in  Rome 
continued  to  receive  the  homages  of  the  faithful. 
Under  the  Pontificate  of  St.  Gregory  III.,  the  deacon 
Moschus  was  buried  therein,  and  his  epitaph,  which  is 
still  preserved,  expresses  the  love  and  confidence  he 
had  vowed  to  this  holy  martyr.     It  is  under  the 
portico  of  the  Basilica  towards  the  right  and  runs  thus : 

SEPVLCHRVM  QVOD  IN  HANC  J3DEM  VEXERANDiE 
CHRISTI  MARTYRIS  CECILLE  SITVM  EST  IN  QVO  ET 
QVIESCIT  IN  PACE  MOSCVS  HVMILIS  DIACOXYS  S.  SEDIS 
AP0ST0LICE  OMNES  EXPOSCEXS  VT  PRO  ME  DOMINVM 
EXORETIS  QVATENVS  EJVSDEM  SACRATISSIM.E  VIRGI- 
NIS  INTERVENIENTIBYS  MERITIS  CVNCTORVM  COXSEQVI 
MEREAR  INDVLDG-ENTIAM  DELIOTORVM  * 

Four  other  sanctuaries  were  erected  in  honor  of 
St.  Cecilia,  either  outside  the  city  or  within  its  walls. 

*  According  to  the  opinion  of  the  learned  Gaetano  Marini,  this 
deacon,  Moschus,  is  the  same  with  the  arch  deacon  of  the  same 
name,  mentioned  in  the  celebrated  inscription  found  in  the  Vati- 
can Crypts.  The  inscription  contains  also  important  fragments  of 
the  Acts  of  a  Council,  held,  against  the  Iconoclasts,  by  Gregory 
III.,  near  the  Confession  of  St.  Peter.  Vid.  MaiL  Scrip,  vett.  Tome 
v.  p.  466. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  197 

Outside  the  city,  on  the  Appian  Way,  that  called 
"  Ad  Sanctam  Caeciliam,"  with  which  our  readers  are 
already  acquainted ;  another  upon  the  Tiburtine  Way, 
which  has  been  entirely  destroyed.    About  the  middle 
of  the  seventh  century,  Pope  St.  Zachary  undertook  the 
restoration  of  the  latter,  embellished  it  with  paintings, 
endowed  it,  and  made  it  a  dependency  of  the  Church 
of  St.  Peter.-     In  the  interior  of  the  city,  the  Basi< 
lica  of  Saint  Cecilia  de  Domo,  of  which  we  have 
spoken;  and  another,  called  Saint  Cecilia  de  Lupo 
Pacho,  and  elsewhere  de  Turre  Campi.     Later,  it  was 
distinguished  under   the  name  of  Sancta  Cecilia  a 
.Monte  Giordano,  because  the  quarter  in  which  it  was 
situated,  formerly  belonged  to  Giordano  Orsini.f    We 
shall  again  refer  to  these  two  Churches.     In  the  year 
768,  for  the  second  time,  the  titulary  Cardinal  of  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia,  who  had  been  named  to  that 
office  by  St.  Zachary,  ascended  the  Apostolic  Chair, 
under  the  title  of  Stephen  IV.     This  election  took 
place  in  the  Church  itself.     Two  years  after,  in  770, 
St.  Opportuna,  the  pious  abbess  of  Montr euil,  was 
warned  of  her  approaching  death  in  a  vision  in  which 
Cecilia  appeared  to  her  on  the  10th  of  April,  at  day 
break.     Opportuna's  cell  was  suddenly  illuminated 
with  the  most   dazzling  light  and   embalmed  with 
delightful  perfumes.     Two  celestial  virgins  descended 
towards  her,  radiant  with  glory.     They  were  Cecilia 
and  Lucy,  resplendent  with  light  and  beauty.     The 
holy  Abbess,  recognizing  them  through  divine  inspira- 
tion, thus  addressed  them:   "Hail,   Oh  my  sisters, 

*  Anastas.  In  Zacharia. 

t  See  the  diploma  of  Urban  III.,  in  Fonseca  do  Basilica  S.  Lau- 
rentii  in  Dainaso,     Page.  252. 

17* 


198  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Cecilia  and  Lucy!  What  does  the  glorious  virgin 
Mary,  Queen  of  Heaven,  Virgin  of  Virgins,  ask  of 
her  humble  servant?"  The  two  messengers  of  the 
Mother  of  God  replied :  "  Opportuna,  faithful  Spouse 
of  Christ,  the  most  pure  Virgin  Mary  awaits  thy  com- 
ing. The  moment  has  arrived  when  thou  shalt  be 
united  in  Heaven  to  her  Son  whom  thou  hast  loved 
upon  earth  with  all  the  strength  of  thy  love.  Put  on 
thy  crown  of  glory ;  light  thy  lamp ;  the  moment 
approaches  when  thou  shalt  be  presented  to  thy 
heavenly  Spouse."  Twelve  days  scarcely  elapsed 
before  the  virgin  breathed  her  last  sigh  in  the  arms 
of  the  Queen  of  Angels.* 

St.  Leo  III.,  who  had  terminated  the  eighth  cen- 
tury with  so  much  glory,  by  placing  the  imperial 
crown  upon  the  head  of  Charlemagne,  on  Christmas 
day,  A.  D.  800,  was  distinguished  for  his  liberal 
donations  to  the  churches  of  Rome.  To  the  Basilica 
of  St.  Cecilia,  he  presented  an  altar-cloth  of  a  material 
called  Stauracin,  which  was  a  kind  of  gold  brocade, 
studded  with  crosses.  He  also  presented  one  of  the 
silver  crowns,  which  at  that  time  were  suspended 
before  the  altar,  and  served  as  chandeliers.  This 
silver  ornament  weighed  ten  pounds  and  one  ounce.f 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DISCOVERT   OF    CECILIA'S   BODY   BY    POPE    ST.    PASCHAL. 

The  moment  had  at  length  arrived  when  the  dis- 
covery of  the  long-lost  sepulchre  of  St.  Cecilia,  was 

*  Mabillon  Acta  S.  S.  Ordinis  S.  Benedicti.  Ssee.  iii.,  part  ii., 
page  230. 

t  Anastas.   In  Leone  III, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  199 

to  verify  the  numerous  traditions  concerning  this 
saint,  to  which  not  only  Kome,  but  the  entire  West, 
had  clung  for  centuries,  with  ever  increasing  enthu- 
siasm. In  817,  Paschal  ascended  the  Apostolic 
chair,  and  seemed  to  have  been  especially  chosen  to 
people  the  churches  of  Eome  with  the  relics  of  the 
martyrs.  It  became  almost  a  necessity  to  remove 
these  holy  remains  from  those  grottos,  the  vaults  of 
which  were  crumbling  to  decay,  and  which  were  no 
longer  visited  so  eagerly  by  the  pious  faithful. 

In  761,  the  holy  Pope,  Paul  I.,  had  opened  an 
immense  number  of  tombs,  in  the  crypts  which 
seemed  most  liable  to  be  destroyed,  and  had  dis- 
tributed the  martyrs'  bones  among  the  churches,* 
monasteries,  and  Basilicas.  The  Papal  Chronicle 
particularly  designates  the  Church  of  St.  Silvester's 
Monastery,  on  the  Campus  Martius,  which  had  been 
founded  by  the  Pope,  as  having  been  more  favored 
than  the  others.  In  a  document  relating  to  this 
monastery,  Paul  gives  his  motive  for  disturbing 
these  venerated  remains.  "  Throughout  the  course 
of  ages,"  he  says,  "  many  cemeteries  of  the  Holy 
Martyrs  and  Confessors,  have  been  neglected  and 
destroyed.  During  the  impious  invasions  of  the 
Lombards,  they  were  ravaged  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  These  barbarians  even  went  so  far  as  to 
search  the  sepulchres,  and  carry  away  many  glori- 
ous bodies.  From  this  disastrous  period,  these  ceme- 
teries were  no  longer  treated  with  the  same  honor, 
the  faithful  having  become  very  negligent  in  visiting 
them.     Must  I  say  they  have  even  allowed  their 

*  Anastas.   In  Paulo, 


200  LIFE    OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

animals  to  enter  freely  into  these  sacred  vaults,  and 
some  have  not  hesitated  to  use  them  as  enclosures 
for  their  flocks.''*  Nevertheless,  throughout  the 
eighth  and  ninth  centuries,  the  numerous  pilgrims 
who  yearly  visited  Borne,  considered  it  a  duty  to 
descend  into  the  cemeteries  of  the  martyrs,  and  visit 
the  Basilicas  which  gave  entrance  to  them.  Divine 
Providence  has  permitted  that  many  of  the  guide- 
books in  which  they  noted  down  all  that  their  piety 
rendered  them  anxious  to  remember  after  their  return 
home,  should  be  preserved  to  the  present  day.  These 
documents,  drawn  up  without  art,  frequently  even  in- 
correctly, give  us,  among  other  things,  the  topography 
of  the  cemeteries  upon  the  different  Ways,  the  details 
of  their  accompanying  Basilicas,  the  more  or  less 
precise  locality  of  several  martyrs7  tombs  in  the 
same  crypt;  in  a  word,  they  are  the  only  light  with 
which  we  can  illumine  the  gloom  of  the  Catacombs. 
All  the  authors  who  have  formerly  spoken  of  sub- 
terranean Eome,  have,  on  account  of  not  using  them, 
made  numerous  and  inevitable  errors. 

With  the  assistance  of  these  documents,  many 
obscurities  have  been  cleared  up,  and  positive  facts 
have  been  substituted  for  the  erroneous  assertions 
which  learned  men  had  derived,  either  from  state- 
ments drawn  up  at  a  period  when  traditions  con- 
cerning the  Catacombs  had  perished,  or  from  con- 
jectures totally  void  of  foundation.  With  the  assis- 
tance of  these  valuable  guide-books,  we  cheerfully 
contribute  the  little  that  is  in  our  power  to  that  reno- 

*  See  a  long  passage  of  this  letter  of  Pope  Paul  1st,  in  Bol- 
detti,  p.  96. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  201 

vation  of  the  antiquities  of  Christian  Eome  which, 
we  doubt  not,  will  be  effected  at  some  future  day : 
and  we  earnestly  pray  that  our  illustrious  friend, 
who  seems  to  have  been  chosen  by  heaven  for  this 
noble  mission,  may  successfully  accomplish  the  task. 
His  genius  has  conceived  it ;  his  vast  science  can 
compass  it ;  and  his  piety  convinces  him  of  its  im- 
portance. The  series  of  guide  books  of  which  we 
speak,  commences  at  the  last  year  of  the  sixth  century, 
with  the  list  of  the  holy  oils  sent  to  Theodolinda ; 
it  is  continued  by  two  descriptive  documents  taken 
from  a  manuscript  of  St.  Peter  of  Salzbourg,  the 
first  evidently  belonging  to  the  seventh  century ; 
these  two  documents  are  more  detailed  than  others,  and 
have  already  corrected  many  errors.  That  inserted 
by  William  of  Malmesbury  in  his  history  follows, 
and  is  also  filled  with  the  most  precious  topographical 
documents.  It  must  have  been  written  previous  to 
the  year  818,  since  he  describes  many  Martyrs  as 
reposing  in  the  Catacombs,  who  were  transferred  to 
the  Churches  of  Rome  by  St.  Paschal  in  that  year. 
Finally,  the  last  is  that  which  Dom  Mabillon  found 
in  the  Library  of  Einsiedelen,  and  which,  according 
to  its  topographical  details,  can  scarcely  be  dated 
earlier  than  the  ninth  century.  It  is  true  there  are 
not  many  details  with  respect  to  the  Martyrs,  as  he 
confines  himself  to  the  description  of  the  Basilicas 
erected  upon  the  Cemeterial  Ways.  But  we  know 
that  after  the  relics  were  taken  away,  these  churches 
were  not  visited,  and  being  deplorably  neglected, 
gradually  crumbled  into  ruins. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  in  the  document  of  St. 


202  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Paul  L,  the  neglect  of  the  Eomans  towards  these 
sacred  cemeteries,  caused  them  to  be  totally  aban- 
doned. In  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  century,  the 
inconvenience  of  this  state  of  things  was  still  more 
sensibly  felt,  and  it  became  necessary  to  put  an  end 
to  it.  The  cemeteries  of  the  Appian  Way  had  been 
generally  kept  in  better  order,  either  on  account  of 
the  restorations  made  at  different  epochs,  or  of  the 
special  veneration  in  which  they  were  held  ;  but  the 
condition  into  which  they  had  fallen  on  account  of 
the  devastations  of  the  Lombards,  joined  to  other 
causes  which  we  have  mentioned,  imperiously  called 
for  some  decided  measures  on  the  part  of  the  Eoman 
Pontiff.  In  the  second  year  of  his  Pontificate,  Pas- 
chal commenced  the  course  of  solemn  Translations 
which  marked  his  reign  in  so  special  a  manner. 
We  may  form  some  idea  of  the  importance  of  the 
removals  made  by  Paschal  at  this  time,  by  reading 
the  contemporaneous  inscriptions  exposed  in  the 
crypts  of  the  Church  of  St.  Praxedes.  Two  thousand 
three  hundred  Martyrs  are  therein  mentioned,  as 
having  been  buried  by  the  Pontiff,  either  under  the 
principal  Altar,  or  in  other  parts  of  the  Basilica, 
situated  upon  the  right  of  the  entrance,  or  finally  in 
a  chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Agnes. 

We  learn  from  this  precious  inscription,  that  the 
Pontiff  transferred  the  bodies  of  the  most  illustrious 
martyrs  of  the  Appian  Way,  to  the  Church  of  St. 
Praxedes.  Many  of  the  Pontiffs  of  the  cemetery  of 
Sixtus,  were  included  in  this  translation.  First, 
Sixtus  himself;  afterwards,  Pontianus,  Anterus, 
Fabian,  Lucius,    Stephen,  and  Melchiades.      Urban 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  203 

had  been  brought  from  the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus 
and  united  to  his  colleagues.  The  bodies  of  other 
Pontiffs,  taken  from  different  cemeteries,  completed 
this  imposing  collection.*  Then  followed  a  legion 
of  martyrs,  some  designated  by  their  names,  others 
by  their  total  number  in  each  section.  Holy  women 
who  had  been  the  ornament  of  Christian  Eome,  com- 
pleted this  assemblage  of  the  elect.  The  most  illus- ' 
trious  were  Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  Symphorosa, 
Felicula,  Zoe,  Daria,  and  Emerentiana.f  Cecilia 
*vas  not  among  them. 

One  day,  in  the  year  821,  Paschal  J  was  praying  in 
the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia,  when  he  was  struck  with 
the  dilapidated  state  of  this  august  sanctuaiy.  The 
walls,  which  had  been  restored  by  St.  Gregory,  more 
than  two  centuries  before,  were  fast  decaying,  and 
there  was  every  reason  to  fear  that,  unless  prompt 
and  efficacious  measures  were  taken,  the  ancient 
church,  to  which  many  sublime  remembrances  were 
attached,  would  soon  be  a  heap  of  ruins.  Paschal 
immediately  made  a  resolution  to  repair  the  church 
throughout,  and  to  rebuild  it  in  a  style  of  magnifi- 
cence  even    far   surpassing    its   original    splendor. 

*  They  were  Popes  Alexander,  Felix,  Julius,  Siricius,  Ana- 
stasius,  and  Celestin. 

f  See  the  inscription  given  for  the  first  time  in  full,  by  His 
Eminence  Cardinal  Mai  Scriptorum  veterum  norm  collectio,  tome 
v.  pages  38,  40.  The  bodies  of  the  martyrs  to  whom  this  in- 
scription is  dedicated,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few  which 
have  been  transferred  elsewhere,  still  repose  behind  the  marble 
slabs  which  at  some  future  day,  may  be  removed  to  take  out 
these  sacred  bones,  when  the  galleries  of  the  Catacombs  are  at 
length  exhausted. 

J  Anastas.  In  Paschalu 


204  LIFE  OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

Paschal  had  been  so  zealous  in  recovering  the  re- 
mains of  the  holy  martyrs,  that  he  could  not  conceive 
such  a  project  without  desiring  to  find  Cecilia's  body, 
that  he  might  translate  it  solemnly  to  the  house  which 
she  had  sanctified  by  her  presence,  and  consecrated 
with  her  blood.     Before  the  Pontificate  of  Paschal, 
her  body  had  been  vainly  sought  in  all  the  crypts  of 
the  Appian  Way.     Many  reasons  had  rendered  these 
researches  fruitless.     It  is  true  that  Cecilia's  tomb 
could  not  be  far  distant  from  the  church  that  bore 
her  name,  and  that  of  Sixtus  ;  but  the  gallery  which 
concealed  this  glorious  sepulchre  was  at  some  distance 
from   the    entrance  to    the    Basilica.      There   was 
nothing  about  the  tomb  calculated  to  attract  atten- 
tion.    A  narrow  and  rather  elevated  recess,  closed  by 
a  marble  slab  without  inscription,  might  easily  be 
overlooked  among  so  many  tombs,  placed  one  above 
the  other.     Cecilia's  tomb,  although  near  the  Papal 
Sepulchres,  was  totally  different,  and   before  open- 
ing it,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  understand 
why  St.  Urban  chose  so  honorable,  and  yet  so  modest 
a  sepulchre  for  the  virgin. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  the  Goths,  in  the  sixth 
century,  made  great  ravages  in  the  Catacombs,  de- 
stroyed sepulchres,  and  shattered  the  inscriptions. 
This  violence  and  the  gradual  abandonment  of  the 
sacred  crypts,  accounts  for  the  disappearance  of  the 
epitaph  which  St.  Damasus,  or  his  successors,  must 
have  dedicated  to  St.  Cecilia,  and  which  in  any  case 
could  not  have  been  fastened  upon  the  tomb,  on  ac- 
count of  its  peculiar  form.  However  this  may  be, 
we  find  in  the  guide-books  of  Salzbourg,  that  Cecilia's 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  205 

tomb  was  well  known  in  the  seventh  century,  and 
that  it  was  not  far  from  the  sepulchres  of  the  holy 
Popes,  Fabian,  Sixtus,  and  Dionysius. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Malmesbury  guide-book, 
which  must  have  been  written  previous  to  the  year 
818,  in  which  St.  Paschal  removed  the  bodies  of  the 
holy  Pontiffs,  Sixtus  and  Dionysius,  relates  that 
these  Popes  still  reposed  in  the  Cemetery  ad  Sanctam 
Caeciliam,  and  yet  makes  no  mention  of  St.  Cecilia  ; 
all  traces  of  the  latter  must  have  been  lost  between  the 
end  of  the  seventh,  and  commencement  of  the  ninth 
century.  This  therefore  must  have  been  the  period 
at  which  the  sacred  Cemeteries  began  to  be  less 
frequented.  But  God  willed  that  this  very  forgetful- 
ness  should  preserve  the  tomb  of  St.  Cecilia,  under 
circumstances  when  it  would  otherwise  have  been 
despoiled  of  the  sacred  treasure  it  contained. 

The  Lombards,  commanded  by  Luitprand,  and  later 
by  Astolphus,  besieged  Rome  several  times  during  the 
eighth  century.  They  entered  the  sacred  Cemeteries 
and  carried  off  the  relics  of  many  martyrs.  They 
were  very  anxious  to  find  the  body  of  St.  Cecilia,  but 
after  a  persevering  search  were  unable  to  discover  it. 
Such  zeal  in  these  converted  barbarians  will  scarcely 
surprise  us  when  we  reflect  that  Luitprand  purchased 
with  gold  from  the  Saracens,  the  body  of  St  Augus- 
tin,  which  he  transferred  from  Sardinia  to  Pa  via. 

But  God  would  not  permit  Rome  to  be  deprived 
of  a  treasure  which,  for  a  moment,  she  did  not  fully 
appreciate.  It  finally  became  the  general  opinion  in 
the  Holy  City  that  Cecilia's  body  had  been  carried 
away  by  the  Lombards.    Paschal  was  not  discouraged, 

18 


206  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

and  eager  to  consecrate  the  restored  Basilica,  by 
placing  its  illustrious  patroness  under  the  altar,  he 
commanded  that  the  search  should  be  recommenced. 
He  even  visited  the  crj-pts  himself,  but  could  not  find 
the  Virgin's  body  in  any  of  the  tombs  he  opened. 
Finally,  yielding  too  readily  to  the  general  opinion, 
he  gave  up  the  search  in  despair,  but  the  time 
had  arrived  when  Cecilia  was  to  re-appear  and  enter 
triumphantly  into  Eome. 

One  day,  Paschal  (he  himself  relates  the  circum- 
stance) was  assisting  at  the  divine  office  in  the  Basi- 
lica of  St.  Peter,  near  the  Confession.  The  clerks 
were  melodiously  chanting  Lauds,  and  the  Pontift 
listened  to  the  harmonious  canticles  with  pious  de- 
light. He  was  finally  overcome  by  drowsiness,  the 
consequence  of  his  protracted  vigils.*  The  sacred 
chants  sounded  in  his  ears  like  a  distant  echo ;  but 
his  eyes,  closed  to  exterior  objects,  were  suddenly 
struck  by  a  luminous  vision.  A  young  virgin  of 
great  beauty  and  adorned  like  the  Spouse  of  Christ, 
stood  before  him. 

Looking  steadily  at  the  Pontiff,  she  said  in  a  firm 
voice:  "We  owe  thee  many  thanks!  Hast  thou 
then,  on  simple  reports  and  false  rumors,  abandoned 
all  hope  of  finding  me  ?  Nevertheless  at  one  time 
thou  wert  so  near  me,  we  could  have  conversed 
together."f 

*  Unde  tamen,  Domini  annuente  dementia,  quadam  die  dum 
ante  Confessionem  Beati  Petri  Apostoli,  psallentmm  matutinali 
lucescente  Dominica  residentes  observaremus  harmoniam,  so- 
pore  in  aliquo  corporis  fragilitatem  aggravante.  Paschalis  Papce 
diploma, 

f  Astitit  nobis  pnella  pulcherrima  virginali  aspectu,  vel  ha- 


LIFE    OF   SAINT    CECILIA.  207 

"Who  art  thou,"  asked  the  Pontiff,  deeply  agitated, 
11  who  speakest  to  me  with  so  much  assurance?" 

"  If  thou  wouldst  know  my  name,"  said  the  virgin, 
"  I  am  called  Cecilia,  servant  of  Christ."*  Paschal 
who  knew  that  apparitions  are  not  always  an  index 
of  heaven's  will,  replied:  "But  how  can  we  believe 
thee  ?  Men  say  that  the  body  of  this  holy  martyr 
was  carried  away  by  the  Lombards."  "  They  did 
seek  me,"  said  the  Virgin,  "  for  a  long  time  and  with 
great  perseverance ;  but  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God 
protected  me.  She  would  not  permit  them  to  carry 
me  away,  and  I  am  still  in  the  same  place  where  I 
first  reposed.  Thou  hast  commenced  researches ;  con- 
tinue them,  for  it  has  pleased  the  Almighty  God,  in 
whose  honor  I  suffered,  to  reveal  my  tomb  to  thee. 
Take  away  my  body,  together  with  those  of  the  other 
Saints  near  me,  and  place  us  in  the  Church  thou  hast  re- 
cently restored."f   After  these  words  she  disappeared. 

bitu  decorata,  taliaque  nobis,  intuens,  ait :  Multas  tibi  gratias 
referimus  :  certamen  quod  in- me  diu  apposueras,  frustatoriis 
relationibus  pervulgatis,  sine  causa  reliquisti  ?  Qui  tanto 
penes  me  fuisti,  quod  ore  proprio  loqui  communiter  valebamus. 
Paschalis  Papce  diploma, 

*  Et  dum  a  nobis  diligenter  interrogata  fuisset :  Tu  quis  es  ? 
Vel  quod  est  nomen  tuum,  qui  talia  me  prsesuniendo  conaris  ? 
Si  e  nomine  quaeris,  Csecilia,  inquit,  famula  Christi  vocor.     Ibid. 

f  Cui  subjungens  dixit :  Quomodo  hoe  credere  possumus,  quia 
olim  fama  relata  est,  quod  ejusdem  sacratissimsc  Martyris  corpus 
a  Longobardis  inde fuisset  ablatum  ?  Quae  ita  respondent  dixit : 
Veritas  est,  quod  multum  me  desideranter  quaesierunt,  sed  gratia 
Dominae  meae  semperque  Virginia  Dei  Genitricis  affuit,  quod 
qualiter  quotidie  praesto  sum,  nullatenus  me  longius  abire  por- 
misit  ;  sed  sicut  coepisti  perage,  et  sicut  operaris  indesinenter 
operare,  quia  omnipotens  Deus  tibi  me  placuit  revelare,  et  cor- 
pus meum  cum  aliis  corporibus  Sanctis,  qua  sunt  juxta  me,  re- 
conditis,  in  Titulo  quern  nupcr  repafari  mandasti,  recondere 
stude  infra  muros  urbis.     Et  ha>c  dicens  abcessit.     Ibid, 


208  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

r  Ke-animated  by  this  vision,  Paschal  caused  a  new 
search  to  be  made  in  the  Cemetery  of  Sixtus.  The 
name  of  this  holy  Pontiff  united  to  that  of  Cecilia  in 
designating  the  same  Church  of  entrance,  naturally 
guided  the  explorers.  Much  time  had  been  lost  in 
searching  the  Cemetery  of  Pretextatus,  and  always 
in  vain.  At  this  time  the  crypts  of  Callistus  were 
frequently  confounded  with  those  of  Pretextatus,  at 
the  point  where  these  two  cemeteries  were  blended  into 
one,  near  the  Church  of  St.  Sebastian.  This  is  very 
evident  from  the  text  of  Anastasius,*  a  contemporary 
historian,  whose  description  of  the  discovery  of  Ce- 
cilia's body  perfectly  accords  with  Paschal's  account. 
The  Pontiff  did  not  now  seek  on  the  left  of  the 
Appian,  a  tomb  which  from  the  locality  of  the  Ba- 
cilica  ad  Sanctam  Casciliam,  he  felt  assured  was  on 
the  right.  He  descended  the  steps  and  once  more 
explored  the  sacred  labyrinth.  He  finally  reached 
the  subterranean  galleries  near  the  Church  of  Sebas- 
tian. At  a  point  where  two  roads  crossed,  a  hitherto 
unexplored  tomb,  placed  in  the  angle  of  intersection, 
struck  his  eyes.  This  sepulchre  had  been  overlooked 
on  account  of  its  extreme  simplicity,  but  its  peculiar 
shape  and  the  rememberance  of  Cecilia's  words,  in- 
duced the  Pontiff  to  examine  it.  He  ordered  the 
marble  to  be  removed,  and  to  his  excessive  joy,  dis- 
covered in  this  deep  and  narrow  cell,  the  tomb  he  had 
so  vainly  sought.  Cecilia  reposed  in  her  cypress 
coffin,  dressed  in  the  antique  robe  of  silk  and  gold  in 
which  Urban  had  buried  her ;  and  the  linen  and  veils 
which  had  been  used  to  staunch  her  wounds,  were 

*  Anastase.  In  PaschalL 


LIFE  OF    SAINT   CECILIA.  209 

rolled  together  and  placed  at  her  feet.  Paschal  certi- 
fies that  he  touched  with  his  own  hands  the  venerated 
remains  of  the  daughter  of  the  Cecilii.*  The  bodies 
of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus,  were  at  a  short 
distance  ;f  nothing  remained  but  to  restore  this  illus- 
trious family  of  martys  to  Kome. 

But  Urban  was  destined  to  share  with  his  noble 
daughter,  the  triumph  prepared  for  her.  St.  Paschal 
had  already  transferred  the  body  of  this  holy  Pon- 
tiff to  the  church  of  St.  Praxedes;  after  recovering 
Cecilia's  body,  he  formed  the  project  of  placing  the 
remains  of  the  holy  Pope  under  the  same  Altar  with 
those  of  Cecilia  and  her  companions.  He  made 
every  preparation  to  celebrate  the  Translation  of 
these  venerated  Martyrs  with  all  the  pomp  and 
solemnity  so  great  a  ceremony  required. 

*  Tunc  etenim  pro  hujus  revelationis  manifestatione,  omni 
postposita  difficultate,  incunctanter  et  absque  ambiguitato  ipsius 
venerabilis  Virginis  corpus  inquirendum  decrevimus  ;  qui  etiam 
annuente  Deo,  ej usque  solito  juvamine  properantes,  in  Ccemeterio 
sancti  Sixti  situm  foris  portam  Appiam,  sicut  in  sacratissima 
illius  Passione  manifeste  narratur,  inter  collegas  episcopos,  in 
aureis  indumentis,  cum  venerabili  sponso  reperimus,  ubi  etiam 
linteamina,  cum  quibus  sacratissimus  sanguis  ejus  abstersus  est 
de  plagis,  quas  spiculator  trinapercussione  crudeliter  ingesserat, 
ad  pedes  beatissima3  Virginis  in  unum  revoluta,  plenaque  cruore 
invenimus  ;  qua?  omnia  nostris  manibus  pertractantes,  cum  ve- 
nerabili corpore  honeste  infra  muros  hujus  Romanae  Urbis  in- 
duximus.     Paschalis  Papm  Diploma. 

f  We  should  not  understand  literally  that  Paschal  found  Ce- 
cilia with  her  husband.  It  is  evident  that  the  two  bodies  were 
not  in  the  same  tomb,  but  the  sepulchres  were  close  together  :  so 
Cecilia  related  to  St.  Paschal  when  she  appeared  to  him.  Mere- 
over,  if  Paschal  had  found  Cecilia  and  Valerian  buried  to- 
gether, he  would  not  have  separated  them  in  the  trans-Tiberian 
Basilica. 

18* 


210  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  BODIES  OF  SAINTS  CECILIA,  VALERIAN,  TIBUR- 
TIUS,  MAXIMUS,  URBAN,  AND  LUCIUS.  ST.  PASCHAL'S  MUNIFICENCE 
TOWARDS  THE  BASILICA  OF  ST.  CECILIA. 

Cecilia  was  about  to  return  to  the  Holy  City 
which  had  been  honored  by  her  presence  so  many 
centuries  before.  The  house  where  she  had  won  so 
many  souls  to  Christ,  which  she  had  sanctified  with 
her  blood,  and  transmitted  to  Pope  Urban,  to  be 
converted  into  a  temple  of  the  Lord,  she  would  now 
find  restored  by  another  Pontiff,  and  faithfully  pre- 
serving the  destination  she  had  given  it  at  her  death. 

Several  months  had  elapsed  since  the  day  when 
Paschal  had  resolved  to  restore  this  sanctuary.  On 
the  8th  of  the  Ides  of  May  (8  May)*  822,  the  Pontifi 
solemnly  dedicated  St.  Cecilia's  Church,  and  doubt- 
less upon  the  same  day  he  placed  her  holy  relics 
under  the  Confession. 

He  placed  a  white  marble  sarcophagus  for  the  vir- 
gin, who  richly  merited  the  first  honors  of  so  mag- 
nificent a  triumph.  Paschal,  following  Urban's  ex- 
ample, respected  the  attitude  of  the  Virgin.  He  left 
her  in  the  cypress  coffin  just  as  he  had  found  her; 
but  he  lined  the  inside  of  it  with  a  rich  fringed  silk 
damask,  called  quadrapulum  ;  over  her  body  he  threw 
a  light  silken  veil,  also  fringed,  and  made  of  a 
materia^  called  stauracin.'f     When  he  had  concluded 

*  See  the  ordo  of  the  church  of  St.  Cecilia  8  May,  and  the  titles 
published  by  Laderchi  vol.  ii.  page  10. 

t  Fecit  etiam  in  arcella  ad  corpus  jam  dictse  Vlrginis  vestem  do 
quadrapulo  cum  periclysi.  Item  ct  aliam  vestem  de  stauraci  cum 

mclvsi  de  olovero.  Anaias.  Li  Paschal  L 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  211 

these  arrangements,    he   closed .  the    tomb   with   a ' 
marble  slab  which  was  destined  not  to  be  removed 
for  eight  centuries. 

The  three  bodies  of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maxi- 
mus,  were  placed  in  a  second  sarcophagus ;  Valerian 
between  the  two  other  martyrs,  and  each  one  wrapped 
in  a  separate  winding-sheet.  Before  closing  the 
second  sepulchre,  Paschal  took  the  head  of  Tiburtius 
which  had  been  severed  by  the  sword,  and  placed 
this  precious  relic  in  a  silver  casket,  weighing  eight 
pounds,  wishing  that  the  faithful  should  have  con- 
tinually before  their  eyes,  so  eloquent  a  testimony 
of  the  martyr's  courage.* 

Paschal  prepared  a  third  sarcophagus  for  the  body 
of  Urban,  whom  he  wished  to  place  with  his  spi- 
ritual children.  That  the  holy  Pope  might  not 
repose  alone,  he  removed  the  body  of  Lucius,  a  suc- 
cessor of  St.  Urban,  and  also  a  martyr,  from  the 
church  of  St.  Praxedes,  and  interred  the  Pontiffs 
together.  Urban  and  Lucius  were  also  wrapped 
each  in  a  separate  winding-sheet.  Paschal  having 
closed  this  third  sepulchre,  caused  a  circular  wall  to 
be  built  round  the  place  where  the  martyrs  reposed. 
A  marble  slab,  bearing  a  mosaic  cross  and  an  in- 
scription, was  placed  inside  the  sepulchre,  near  the 
tombs,  to  certify  to  posterity,  the  value  of  the  treasure 
which  Paschal  had  interred  there. 

*  Anastasius,  or  his  copyist,  erred  in  attributing  to  Cecilia 
the  head  of  which  we  speak.  When  the  virgin's  tomb  was 
opened  the  second  time,  the  head  was  found  with  the  body  ; 
and  the  tradition  of  the  Basilica,  which  attributed  the  head  to 
Tiburtius,  was  confirmed  by  opening  the  tomb  of  the  latter. 


212  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

The  following  verses  were  engraven  on  the  marble : 

HANC  FIDEI  ZELO  PASCHALIS  PRIJVIVS  AB  IMO 
ECCLESIAM  RENO  VANS,  DVM  CORPORA  SACRA  REQVIR[T, 
ELEVAT  INVENTVM  VENERANDAE    MARTYRIS  ALMAE 
CAECILIAE  CORPVS,  HOC  ILLVD  MARMORE  CONDENS. 
LUCIVS,  VRBANVS,  HVIC  PONTIFICES  SOCIANTVR  ; 
VOSQVE  DEI   TESTES,  TIBVRTI,  VALERIANE, 
MAXIME,  CVM  DICTIS  CONSORTIA  DIGNA  TENETIS. 
HOS  COLIT  EGREGIOS  DEVOTE    ROMA  PATRONOS.* 

The  principal  altar  of  the  church  was  erected  over 
the  tombs ;  according  to  custom,  an  opening  pro- 
tected by  a  movable  grating,  and  called  fenestella, 
was  cut  in  the  solid  stone;  and  within  was  a  per- 
pendicular conduit,  by  means  of  which,  pieces  of 
linen,  called  brandea,  were  lowered  down  to  the  tomb. 
After  having  been  sanctified  by  this  sacred  contact, 
these  linen  cloths  were  distributed  as  relics.  Paschal 
covered  the  altar,  and  the  interior  of  the  above-men- 
tioned aperture  with  silver  plates,  and  placed  on  the 
altar  a  magnificent  ciborium  of  the  same  metal,  weigh- 
ing five  hundred  pounds.  He  adorned  the  Confes- 
sion with  a  statue  of  St.  Cecilia,  also  of  silver,  weigh- 
ing ninety-five  pounds.  Three  other  statues,  prob- 
ably those  of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus, 
were  grouped  around  that  of  the  virgin.  They  were 
made  of  the  same  material,  but  were  gilded,  and  the 
three  together  weighed  forty-eight  pounds.  One 
hundred  pounds  of  silver  were  employed  in  the  deco- 

*  When  Paschal  restored  this  church,  he  sought  for  and  dis- 
covered the  body  of  the  martyr,  Cecilia,  which  he  placed  under 
this  marble.  The  Pontiffs  Lucius  and  Urban  are  with  her,  and 
you,  also,  Tiburtius,  Valerian,  and  Maximus,  occupy  an  honor- 
able place.  Here  repose  those  whom  Rome  reveres  as  her  power- 
ful protectors. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  213 

rations  of  two  columns  of  Byzantine  workmanship, 
which  supported  an  arcade,  the  whole  interior  of 
which  was  covered  with  silver  plates.* 

The  Papal  Chronicle  also  gives  an  inventory  of  the 
sacred  vessels  and  furniture  presented  by  Paschal  to 
the  Basilica.  We  mention  these  details  to  prove  this 
Pontiff's  veneration  for  the  holy  martyrs,  also  to 
give  some  idea  of  the  wealth  of  the  Eoman  churches 
in  the  ninth  century.  Among  the  offerings  were 
twenty-six  silver  chalices  for  the  different  altars, 
weighing  together  one  hundred  and  nine  pounds ; 
two  silver  lamps,  each  weighing  two  pounds;  a  basin 
of  pure  gold,  weighing  three  pounds ;  a  silver  censor 
weighing  one  pound ;  a  purple  altar-cloth,  the  centre 
of  gold  brocade,  upon  which  was  embroidered  an 
angel  distributing  crowns  to  Valerian,  Cecilia,  and 
Tiburtius,  the  whole  trimmed  with  gold  fringe  of 
marvellous  workmanship  ;  costly  veils  and  tapestry, 
some  destined  for  the  Confession,  others  for  different 
altars  of  the  Basilica,  and  for  the  Presbytery,  with- 
out counting  the  large  and  rich  curtain,  hanging  at 
the  entrance  of  the  church.f 

A  description  of  these  fabrics,  all  of  the  richest 
material,  would  detain  us  too  long;  we  will,  how- 
ever, mention  another  altar-cloth  which  Paschal  pre- 
sented a  short  time  before  his  death.  It  was  of  gold 
brocade,  and  enriched  with  a  magnificent  piece  of 
embroidery,  representing  the  resurrection  of  our 
Lord.J 

This  Basilica,  which  the  Pontiff  had  decorated 
with  such  magnificence,  was  built  according  to  the 
*  Anastas.  In  Paschali.  \  Ibid.  \  Ibid, 


214  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

style  observed  in  all  the  Eoman  churches.  A  court 
surrounded  by  a  portico,  with  a  fountain  in  the  cen- 
tre, was  in  front  of  the  building. 

The  bath  room  in  which  Cecilia  breathed  her  last 
sigh,  was  upon  the  right,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Bas- 
ilica. Above  the  columns  of  the  grand  nave,  Pas- 
chal caused  to  be  painted  a  series  of  the  Eoman 
Pontiffs,  from  St.  Peter  to  himself,  similar  to  those 
in  the  churches  of  St.  Peter  and  of  St.  Paul.* 

Between  the  apsis  and  the  grand  nave,  a  trium- 
phal arch  was  erected  covered  with  a  brilliant 
mosaic.  In  the  centre,  the  mother  of  God  was  re- 
presented seated  upon  a  throne,  and  holding  the  Di- 
vine Infant  on  her  knees.  She  is  accompanied  by  two 
Angels,  one  standing  on  her  right,  the  other  on  her 
left.  On  either  side,  five  Virgins  are  advancing 
towards  the  throne  of  the  Son  and  His  mother,  each 
presenting  a  crown.  These  virgins  are  separated  one 
from  the  other  by  palm  trees.  Lower  down,  the 
twenty-four  elders  of  the  Apocalypse,  twelve  on 
either  side,  are  represented  raising  their  crowns  to 
Christ,  to  whose  glory  this  triumphal  arch  was 
consecratedf  The  mosaic  of  the  apsis  was  not  exe- 
cuted until  after  the  translation  of  the  Martyrs,  as 
Paschal  desired  by  its  means  to  perpetuate  the  remem- 
brance of  this  event  so  glorious  for  the  Basilica. 

It  has  been  preserved  until  the  present  day,  and 
although  the  rich  enamel  is  somewhat  faded,  the 
mosaic  is  none  the  less  venerable.  In  the  centre,  our 
Saviour  is  represented  standing,  and  clothed  in  a 

*  Marangoni.  Cose  gentilesche  ad  uso  delle  cliiese.  Page  311. 
f  The  design  of  this  mosaic,  which  has  been  destroyed,  may 
be  found  in  Ciampini,  Vetera  Monimenta,  tome  ii.  page  157. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  215 

mantle  sparkling  with  gold.  With  His  right  hand, 
he  is  giving  a  blessing  according  to  the  Greek  manner, 
while,  in  his  left,  he  holds  a  roll  of  the  Gospels.  The 
Byzantine  artist  represented  St.  Peter  on  the  left  of 
our  Saviour,  because  among  the  Greeks,  that  was 
considered  the  post  of  honor.  The  prince  of  the 
Apostles  wears  a  silver  cloak,  and  holds  two  keys, 
the  symbols  of  his  power.  Valerian  and  Cecilia 
stand  i^ext  to  him ;  the  former  also  wears  a  silver 
cloak,  and  holds  a  crown  in  his  hand ;  the  Virgin 
has  her  hair  fastened  with  a  band,  and  her  neck 
adorned  with  a  necklace  formed  of  three  rows  of 
pearls.  Her  dress  and  mantle  are  of  gold,  and  she 
holds  a  crown  composed  of  two  rows  of  pearls.  The 
picture  terminates  on  the  left  with  a  palm  tree  laden 
with  fruit.  St.  Paul  stands  on  the  right  of  our  Sa- 
viour, enveloped  in  a  golden  mantle,  and  holding  a 
book  of  the  Gospels  richly  bound.  St.  Agatha  stands 
next,  crowned  with  a  diadem,  and  clothed  in  a  golden 
robe,  the  beauty  of  which  is  enhanced  by  a  rich  trim- 
ming of  pearls.  She  rests  her  right  hand  upon  the 
shoulder  of  Paschal  who  wears  the  antique  Chasuble 
and  Pallium,  and  holds  in  his  hands  a  little  edifice 
representing  St.  Cecilia's  Church,  in  the  dedication 
of  which  he  added  the  name  of  Agatha  to  that  of  the 
Eoman  Virgin.  The  picture  on  this  side  also,  is 
terminated  by  a  palm  tree  laden  with  fruit;  a  phoe- 
nix stands  upon  one  of  the  upper-branches  of  the  tree, 
as  if  to  recall  the  symbolical  bird  which  Cecilia  caused 
to  be  engraven  upon  the  tomb  of  Maximus. 

On  the  dower  part  of  the  mosaic,  the  Lamb  of  God 
is  represented  with  five  rivers  flowing  under  his  ieet, 


216  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

ancient  symbols  of  the  vivifying  fountains  which  flow 
from  the  Bedeemer's  wounds.  On  either  side,  six 
lambs,  representing  the  Twelve  Apostles,  advance 
towards  the  Divine  Lamb.* 

The  monogram  of  Paschal  is  placed  at  the  top  of 
the  apsis,  and  on  the  lower  part  of  this  immense  pic- 
ture, the  inscription  in  verse,  in  which  he  dedicated 
this  sumptuous  monument  of  the  Byzantine  art  to  St. 
Cecilia.     It  runs  thus :  + 

HAEC  DOMVS  AMPLA  MICAT  VARUS  FABRICATA  METALLIS 
OLIM  QVM  FVERAT  CONFRACTA  SVB  TEMPORE  PRISCO. 
CONDITIT  IN  MELIVS  PASCHALIS  PR^ESVL  OPIMVS. 
HANC  AVLAM  DOMINI  FIRMANS  FVNDAMINE  CLARO. 
AVREA  GEMMATIS  RESONANT  HJEC  DYNDIMA  TEMPLI. 
LJETVS  AMORE  DEI  HIC  CONIVNXIT  CORPORA  SANCTA 
CAECILIAE  ET  SOCIIS  RVTILAT  HIC  FLORE  1VVENTVS, 
QVAE  PRIDEM  IN  CRYPTIS  PAVSABANT  MEMBRA  BEATA. 
ROMA  RESVLTAT  OVANS  SEMPER  ORNATA  PER  AEVVM.f 

Such  were  the  testimonials  of  Paschal's  devotion 
to  St.  Cecilia,  and  such  were  the  ornaments  with 
which  he  enriched  her  Basilica.  In  his  distribution 
of  relics  to  the  different  churches,  he  could  not  forget 
that  of  St.  Cecilia.  Nine  hundred  bodies  of  Martyrs 
were  placed  in  her  Basilica,  as  if  to  form  an  escort 

*  This  mosaic  may  also  be  seen  in  Ciampini.  Vetera  Moni- 
menta  page  160. 

f  This  vast  temple,  was  falling  to  ruins  when  Paschal,  in  his 
munificence,  restored  it.  He  placed  this  temple  of  God  upon  the 
richest  foundation  ;  the  sanctuary,  brilliant  with  gold,  sparkles 
with  precious  stones.  Paschal  reunited  in  this  Church  the 
bodies  of  Cecilia  and  her  companions.  This  family,  composed 
of  young  patricians  whose  remains  were  so  long  concealed  in  the 
crypts,  now  reposes  here. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  217 

for  the  glorious  Spouse  of  Christ,  and  also  to  increase 
the  dignity  of  her  august  sanctuary,* 

Paschal  was  not  satisfied  with  merely  restoring  the 
dwelling  of  St.  Cecilia ;  he  also  wished  to  ensure  a 
tribute  of  homage  which  day  and  night  should  ascend 
to  heaven  from  this  holy  place.  He  therefore  by  his 
largesses  installed  a  choir  of  monks  near  the  church 
to  sing  the  Divine  Office.  He  caused  a  monastery 
to  be  built  in  a  place  called  Colles  Jacentes,  and  en- 
dowed'it  with  the  revenues  of  a  hospital  which  his 
predecessor,  St.  Leo  III.,  had  founded  near  St  Peter's, 
upon  a  tract  of  ground  formerly  used  for  aquatic 
games.  This  hospital  had  not  prospered,  and  had 
consequently  been  abandoned. 

After  having  paid  so  much  honor  to  the  Virgin 
Cecilia,  Paschal  happily  ended  his  Pontificate  which 
is  signalized  among  all  others  by  acts  of  piety  to- 
wards the  holy  martyrs.  The  Pontiff  had  acquitted 
the  debt  of  gratitude  which  the  church  owed  to  those 
who  had  cemented  it  with  their  blood.  If  the  tri- 
umph he  reserved  for  Cecilia,  exceeded  that  of  all 
the  other  martyrs  whose  relics  he  translated,  it  was 
because  Paschal,  like  Urban,  felt  that  there  are  many 
mansions  in  the  house  of  the  Heavenly  Father  ;f 
and  that  the  daughter  of  the  Cecilii  had  heroically 

*  Sixtus  V.  Bref  Salvator  noster.  Laderclii,  tome  ii.  page  410. 
This  tradition  is  open  to  criticism.  It  seems  at  first  sight  to 
have  originated  from  a  text  of  the  Roman  Marty rology  of  tho4th 
of  March,  where  nine  hundred  Martyrs  are  mentioned  as  being 
buried  ad  Sand  am  Catriliam,  viz.,  in  the  cemetery  of  Cecilia  and 
Sixtus.  But  as  Laderclii  remarks,  Paschal  may  have  trans- 
ferred these  martyrs  to  the  church  after  the  Translation  of 
Cecilia's  body.     This  would  explain  every  thing. 

\  John  xiv.,  2. 

19 


218  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

ascended  to  one  of  those  reserved  for  the  most  mag- 
nanimous souls. 

Paschal  died  in  the  year  824.  In  the  following 
century,  Flodoard*  a  canon  of  the  Church  of  Eheims, 
and  one  of  the  first  historians  of  France,  wrote  a 
poem  commemorating  the  deeds  of  the  Eoman  Pon- 
tiffs. He  eulogized  the  virtues  of  Paschal;  but 
dwelt  particularly  upon  Cecilia's  apparition  to  that 
Pontiff,  and  described  the  glorious  tomb  where  she 
reposed  in  her  rich  apparel,  surrounded  by  the  blood- 
stained evidences  of  her  martyrdom.  Thus  even  the 
churches,  in  foreign  countries,  were  deeply  interested 
in  the  events  which  had  taken  place  in  Eome,  and 

*  We  will  give  the  passage  of  Flodoard's  poem  referring  to  the 
events  we  have  related 

CcBciliae  cernens  incumbere  casibus  aedem 
In  meliora  levat  restructis  culmina  septis. 
Defessum  precibus,  queni  Caecilia  visere  Virgo 
Affariquc  probat  dignum  :  taraen  increpat,  nt  quid 
Liqnerit  incertum  quaerendi  membra  labor  em, 
Qua?  sublata  putat  popularis  credulus  aurae  ? 
Ut  se  res  habeat  referens,  nomenque  roganti 
Adnotat,  hortaturque  piis  persistcre  coeptis  ; 
Gaudeat  invento  dum  munere  :  nam  placet,  inquit ; 
JEterno  Domino,  cujus  splendoris  amore 
Me  passam  constat,  noviter  quo  me  ipse  repertam 
A  te  constructi  templi  munimine  condas. 
Hie  dictis  celeri  repetit  ccelestia  saltu. 
Papa  revelato  lsetus  tarn  lucis  aperte 
Indicio,  indagans  thesauri  celsa  talenta 
Reperit,  eximiis  pretiosa  monilia  gemmis. 
Aurea  virgineum  celabant  tegmina  pignus  : 
Carbasa  Martyrii  rutilabant  sanguine  clari ; 
Qua?  pater  almificus  manibus  pia  munera  tractans 
Colligit,  inducens  Urbi  instrumenta  salutis  : 
Atque  locat  thalamo  candentia  membra  decoro. 
D.  Mabillon.  Acta  SS.  Orel.  S.  Ben.  scec.  iii.  part.  ii.  p  5S7 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  219 

the  glory  of  Cecilia  seemed  to  be  appreciated  through* 
out  Christendom.  Whilst  Alexander  Severus  was 
remembered  only  in  the  pages  of  history,  the  renown 
of  the  noble  young  Eoman  maiden,  who  had  suffered 
in  his  reign  a  cruel  death,  increased  with  every  suc- 
ceeding age.  We  will  quote  the  eloquent  lines  of 
St.  John  Chrysostom,  who,  wishing  to  impress  the 
people  with  an  idea  of  the  ever  increasing  glory  of 
the  martyrs,  contrasts  it  with  that  of  the  Cossars, 
among  whom  he  particularly  names  Alexander 
Severus. 

"  The  Eoman  Senate,"  says  this  eloquent  Bishop, 
"  decreed  the  apotheosis  of  Alexander  Severus,  and 
made  him  the  thirteenth  of  their  principal  gods;* 
for  this  assembly  had  the  power  of  creating  and  de- 
claring gods.  If  these  Pagans  are  asked :  i  How  can 
Alexander  be  a  god  ?  Is  he  not  dead  ?  Did  he  not 
die  a  miserable  death?'  They  reply:  '  During  his 
life,  Alexander  accomplished  many  and  noble  actions. 
He  subjugated  cities  and  nations ;  he  was  victorious 
in  wars  and  combats;  he  erected  innumerable  tro- 
phies.' I  see  nothing  either  new  or  suprising  that 
a  man  who  was  at  once  a  king  and  a  great  general, 
having  under  him  large  armies,  should  gain  vic- 
tories ;  but  I  am  filled  with  astonishment  when  I  find 
that  a  man,  who  suffered  on  the  cross  and  was  laid  in 
the  tomb,  daily  performs  so  many  miracles  both  on 
land  and  sea ;  this  proves  a  secret  and  divine  power. 
After  the  death  of  Alexander,  hi  Jfcnpire  was  divided 

*  This  remark  of  St.  John  Chrysostom  is  not  strictly  correct. 
There  is  no  certain  proof  that  the  Senate  by  special  decree  placed 
Alexander  among  their  gods;  but  Lampridins  expressly  says, 
that  during  Alexander's  lire  a  temple  was  elected  to  his  honor. 


220  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

and  annihilated,  and  yet  he  did  not  restore  it.  What 
could  that  dead  man  do?  Christ,  on  the  contrary, 
founded  an  empire,  but  it  was  not  until  after  his 
death  that  he  accomplished  his  work.  But  why  do 
I  speak  of  Christ,  when  he  has  granted  to  his  very 
disciples  so  much  glory  beyond  the  tomb  ?  Tell  me, 
where  sleeps  Alexander's  dust?  On  what  day  did 
he  die?  "What  I  do  know  is,  that  the  tombs  of  the 
servants  of  God  are  erected  with  magnificence  ;  they 
are  the  ornaments  of  the  royal  city ;  every  one  knows 
the  day  that  is  consecrated  to  them  ;  it  is  celebrated 
throughout  the  world.  The  Gentiles  cannot  point 
out  Alexander's  tomb ;  they  know  not  where  it  is. 
The  very  barbarians  know  those  of  the  Martyrs. 
The  sepulchres  of  those  who  served  the  Crucified, 
surpass  the  palaces  of  emperors,  not  only  by  their 
extent  and  beauty,  but  still  more  by  the  concourse 
of  people  who  visit  them.  Even  kings  prostrate 
themselves  before  their  tombs,  and  renouncing  their 
pomp,  beseech  the  servants  of  God  to  intercede  for 
them.  The  fisherman  and  the  tent  maker  are  both 
dead,  and  he  who  now  wears  the  diadem  humbly 
implores  their  protection."* 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

CONFIRMATION  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  ST.  CECILIA  BY  THE  CIRCUMSTANCES 
ATTENDING  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  HER  BODY.  DIGRESSION  UPON  THE 
RELICS  OF  ST.  CECILI^J 

Before  resuming  our  history,  let  us  dwell  for  a 
moment  upon  the  facts  contained  in  the  account  of 
*  In  Epist.  ii,  ad  Corinth.  Iloniil.  xxvi,  No.  4,  5. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  221 

the  finding  of  St.  Cecilia's  body;  facts  which  serve 
to  verify  our  Acts.  We  have  taken  them  principally 
from  Paschal's  official  document  and  the  contem- 
porary chronicle  of  Anastasius,  both  unknown  to  the 
compiler  of  the  Acts,  since  he  lived  three  centuries 
before,  and  his  recital  had  been  admitted  into  the 
Liturgies  from  the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries. 
They  were  also  circulated  throughout  the  Churches 
of  the  West,  at  least  a  century  before  Paschal's  ponti- 
ficate, as  we  have  already  seen  in  the  Chronicle  of 
Felix  IV.,  the  verses  of  St.  Adhelm,  and  Bede's  Mar- 
tyrology.  We  found  in  Paschal's  document,  and  in  the 
narrative  of  Anastasius,  not  only  the  names  of  Cecilia 
and  Valerian,  but  also  those  of  Tiburtius  and  Maxi- 
mus,  and  it  was  also  stated  that  these  four  martyrs 
were  first  buried  upon  the  Appian  Way.  Although 
Paschal's  recital  is  so  laconic,  he  mentions  that  Ce- 
cilia was  dressed  in  a  robe  of  gold  and  silk.  The 
Acts  had  already  given  us  this  information  which  is 
indeed  of  secondary  importance.  Yet  its  confirmation 
serves  to  prove  the  veracity  of  the  compiler.  Pas- 
chal does  not  say  that  he  discovered  near  the  body 
the  ampullas  filled  with  blood,  which  are  still  found 
in  the  martyrs'  tombs ;  but  he  mentions  pieces  of 
linen  which  had  been  saturated  in  blood,  lying  at 
Cecilia's  feet.  Here  is  an  additional  proof  of  the 
fidelity  of  our  historian  who  was  the  first  to  mention 
this  fact.  The  circumstance  of  the  linen  cloths  is 
characteristic  of  the  martyrdom  of  our  Saint.  They 
prove  the  staunching  of  a  wound  inflicted  by  a  sword  ; 
they  are  not  to  bo  confounded  with  the  sponges  used 
to  collect  the  martyr's  blood,  which  was  afterwards 

19* 


222  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

pressed  into  vases  destined  to  preserve  it.  The  linen 
cloths  in  Cecilia's  tomb  were  rolled  up  with  great 
care  and  placed  at  her  feet  as  a  trophy.  By  their 
mute  but  eloquent  testimony,  they  recalled  the  tragic 
scene  of  the  Caldarium.  Later  we  shall  see  Cecilia's 
tomb  again  reopened,  and  then  new  discoveries  will 
give  additional  proof  of  the  minute  accuracy  of  our 
Acts. 

The  circumstances  of  the  discovery  of  Cecilia's 
body,  in  822,  also  serve  to  enlighten  the  critic  upon 
the  value  of  the  virgin's  relics,  which  several  churches 
boasted  of  possessing,  before  the  pontificate  of  Pas- 
chal. St.  Venantius  Fortunatus,  in  the  seventh  cen- 
tury, speaks  of  those  which  St.  Vitalis,  Bishop  of 
Eavenna,  had  placed  in  the  Church  of  St.  Andrew.* 
It  is  very  evident  that  these  relics  could  not  have 
been  those  of  our  holy  martyr,  since  her  tomb  was 
not  opened  until  the  year  822.  Many  relics  are 
spoken  of,  after  this  period,  as  being  those  of  St. 
Cecilia.  Ehaban  Maur  commemorates  in  a  poem, 
the  bones  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  he  declares  that  he 
placed  in  his  church  at  Fulda,  with  those  of  Sts. 
Valerian  and  Tiburtius  ;f  in  another  place,  he  men- 
tions nine  altars,  which  he  says  he  enriched  with 
her  relics4 

A  statement  of  the  relics  preserved  in  the  Basilica 
of  St.  Cecilia,  at  Eome,  and  which  appears  to  have 
been  compiled  about  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth 
centu^,  mentions  four  altars  of  this  same  church,  as 
containing  relics  of  the  glorious  patroness;  in  two 

*   Venantii  Fortunati  Carmima.  part  i.  lib.  i.  carra.  ii. 
f  Rhabani  Mauri.  Opp.  tome  iv.  page  231. 
t  Rhabani  Mauri.  Tome  vi.,  pages  215-221. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  223 

of  the  altars,  the  relics  were  bones.*  The  treasury 
of  the  celebrated  Church  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours, 
which  was  pillaged  by  the  Calvinists,  in  1562,  con- 
tained a  head  of  St.  Cecilia,  enclosed  in  a  reliquary 
partly  of  gold,  partly  silver  gilt,  and  enriched  with 
precious  stones.f  A  second  head  was  kept  in  the 
church  of  St.  Nicholas  des  Champs,  in  Paris ;:{:  a 
third  in  the  treasury  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Lucien  de 
Beamais.§  It  would  be  easy  to  extend  this  enumer- 
ation, with  the  assistance  of  different  inventories  of 
relics  found  among  the  Bollandists  and  elsewhere ; 
but  we  cannot  pass  over  in  silence,  the  arm  of  St. 
Cecilia,  and  the  relics  of  Sts.  Tiburtius,  Valerian, 
and  Urban,  which  Paul  II.  presented  in  1346,  to 
John  Jofroy,  Bishop  of  Alby,  who  placed  them  in  his 
cathedral.||  All  these  relics,  which  we  by  no  means 
intend  to  stigmatize  as  pious  frauds,  could  not  possi- 
bly belong  to  the  Eoman  virgin,  whose  history  we 
are  relating.  When  Cecilia's  tomb  was  opened  in 
1599,  the  body  was  found  entire,  just  as  St.  Paschal 
had  placed  it,  under  the  altar  of  the  trans-Tiberian 
Basilica.  Du  Saussay,  in  his  Martyrologium  Galli- 
canum,  frankly  acknowledges  this,  and  he  thinks 
that  the  head  preserved  in  the  church  of  St.  Nicholas 
in  Paris,  must  have  belonged  to  Cecilia,  Abbess  of 
Eemiremont.^" 

It  is  difficult  at  first,  to  explain  the  mistake  made 

*  Laderchi.  tome  ii.,  pages  11-14 

f  Gervaise,  Vie  de  St.  Martin.,  page  426. 

t  Du  Saussay,  Martyrelogiuni  Gallicanum,  tome  ii.,  page  1231. 

§  Baillet,  Vies  des  Saints,  22  Novembre. 

||  Gallia  Christiana,  tome  i.,  page  33. 

U  Du  Saussay.  Ibid. 


224  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

at  Rome,  and  even  in  St.  Cecilia's  church,  where, 
from  the  twelfth  century,  the)7  supposed  that  some 
of  the  saint's  bones  were  under  several  of  the  altars. 
But  it  is  easily  accounted  for,  if  we  remember  that, 
besides  the  virgin  married  to  Valerian,  there  were  at 
least  three  other  holy  martyrs,  named  Cecilia,  two  of 
whom  suffered  in  Rome.  The  first  mentioned  in  the 
Martyrology,  attributed  to  St.  Jerome,  is  marked  on 
the  2d  of  June;  the  second,  on  the  16th  of  Septem- 
ber.- The  third  Saint  Cecilia,  suffered  martyrdom 
in  Africa,  during  the  persecution  of  Diocletian,  .with 
Sts.  Saturninus,  Dativus,  and  Felix,  who  are  men- 
tioned in  the  Roman  Martyrology,  on  the  11th  of 
February,  f 

In  the  interval  which  elapsed  between  the  first 
discovery  of  Cecilia's  body,  in  822,  and  the  second, 
which  took  place  eight  centuries  later,  there  was  no 
certainty  as  to  the  condition  in  which  St.  Paschal 
had  left  the  body  in  closing  the  tomb.  It  was  uni- 
versally the  custom  to  remove  some  portions  of  the 
holy  relics  before  sealing  the  new  sepulchre  ;  J  this 
may  have  given  rise  to  the  supposition  that  the 
sacred  bones  attributed  to  Cecilia,  belonged  to  the 
jnost   celebrated  martyr  of  that   name.     This   was 

*  Florentini.  Martyrolog.  St.   Hieronynii.  anj  jours  iiidiques. 

f  See  also  Doni  Ruinart.  Acta  Sincera  31artyrv.ni.  page  409. 

%  Although  iu  oldeu  times  relics  were  uot  often  divided,  still 
the  numerous  miracles  wrought  after  the  finding  of  St.  Stephen's 
body,  did  not  prevent  the  precious  bones  of  this  martyr  being 
dispersed  throughout  Africa,  as  St.  Augustin  attests.  At  tne 
period  in  which  St.  Paschal  lived,  this  practice  had  become 
still  more  common,  ?nd  if  the  holy  Pontiff  left  Cecilia's  body 
entire,  as  was  proved  later,  it  must  be  attributed  %o  a  special 
osation  of  Providence. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  225 

firmly  believed ;  the  reopening  of  the  tomb  could 
alone  solve  this  great  problem  and  supply  the 
records  omitted  in  Paschal's  document.  The  two 
heads  preserved  in  the  Churches  of  St.  Martin  of 
Tours,*and  St.  Lucian  of  Beauvais,  may  be  attributed 
to  either  of  the  two  Eoman  martyrs  of  whom  we 
spoke,  or  to  the  one  who  died  in  Africa. 

Again,  it  would  be  necessary  to  know  whether 
there  were  two  entire  heads  or  simply  different  parts 
of  the  same  head.  Churches  frequently  glory  in 
possessing  the  body  of  a  saint,  when  they  have  only 
a  valuable  portion  of  his  bones ;  it  is  the  same  for  the 
head,  arms,  or  other  principal  members,  and  this  mode 
of  expression,  which  is  perfectly  familiar  to  all  persons 
acquainted  with  this  branch  of  religious  archaeology, 
was  already  in  use  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries.*  It, 
is,  therefore  possible,  that  the  two  relics  preserved  in 
the  Churches  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours  and  Saint  Lucian 
of  Beauvais,  were  but  two  portions  of  the  same  relic, 
under  the  name  of  the  Head  of  St.  Cecilia.  If  we 
come  now  to  the  relics  of  Fulda,  which  Ehaban  Maur, 
a  contemporary  of  Paschal,  expressly  declares  to  be 
those  of  the  great  Eoman  Martyr  Cecilia,  and  of  Saints 
Tiburtius  and  Valerian,  we  have  the  same  reasons  to 
allege. 

*  St.  Basil,  in  his  homily  upon  the  forty  Martyrs  (opp.  tome 
ii.  p.  155)  remarks  that  although  the  relics  of  these  samts  were 
divided  among  a  large  number  of  cities,  yet  each  city  was  justi- 
fied in  considering  that  it  possessed  the  entire  body.  The  odor  et 
is  still  more  explicit :  "Although  the  entire  bodies  of  the  mar- 
tyrs arc  not  in  the  casket,  although  these  frequently  contain  but 
a  small  portion  of  their  bones,  still  we  commonly  call  these 
relics  the  bodies  of  the  Martyrs."  Epist.  cxxx.  ad  Tiniotheuni. 
Opp.  Tom.  iv.  p.  1218.     Halffi.  1771. 


226  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

•  In  1599,  the  body  of  St.  Cecilia  was  found  entire; 
hence  the  error  in  this  case,  as  in  the  former  one, 
probably  resulted  from  similarity  of  name.  The 
bones,  of  which  Ehaban  speaks,  must  have  been  those 
of  another  Cecilia,  and  must  also  have  been  very 
considerable,  since  he  was  able  to  distribute  them 
among  nine  altars  of  his  abbey. 

We  find  less  difficulty  in  believing  that  this  Church 
possessed  some  of  the  bones  of  Valerian  and  Tibur- 
tius.  It  is  certain  that  Saint  Paschal,  in  822, 
separated  the  head  of  Saint  Tiburtius  from  his  body, 
and  placed  it  in  the  Basilica.  The  bodies  of  the  two 
martyrs  were  not  found,  in  1599,  in  the  same  state 
of  preservation  as  that  of  St.  Cecilia.  It  is  very 
probable  that  St.  Paschal  had  distributed  some  of 
their  bones  and  that  Ehaban  had  received  a  portion. 

However,  we  will  not  be  positive,  because  when 
the  tomb  was  last  opened,  the  bodies  of  the  two 
brothers  seemed  complete,  with  the  exception  of 
Tiburtius'  head,  and  we  are  rather  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  relics  of  Fulda  belonged  to  two  other  mar- 
tyrs of  the  same  name.  A  Saint  Tiburtius  is  men- 
tioned in  the  archives  of  the  Eoman  Church,  on  the 
11th  of  August, — he  is  still  commemorated  in  the 
office  of  that  day.  A  St.  Valerian  suffered  also  at 
Eome,  with  several  other  Martyrs,  about  the  year 
167 ;  and  finally  the  Western  Martyrologies  have 
preserved  the  remembrance  of  several  other  Sts. 
Valerian  and  Tiburtius,  whose  relics  may  have  been 
removed,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  from  one 
place  to  another,  and  this  may  have  caused  confusion. 

We  will  add  a  few  words  respecting  the  relics  of 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  227 

St.  Cecilia  which  were  preserved  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Andrew  at  Kavenna,  in  the  sixth  century.  At 
this  period,  and  even  long  after,  not  only  the  linen 
which  had  touched  a  Saint's  tomb,  but  also  that  used 
to  cover  his  altar  were  considered  relics ;  indeed  even 
the  oil  of  the  lamps  which  burned  before  his  body. 
The  relics  of  which  St.  Venantius  Fortunatus  speaks, 
must  have  been  of  this  nature,  since  for  two  centuries 
after  this  bishop's  death,  Cecilia  still  reposed  in  a 
sealed  tomb  of  the  Callistus  Cemetery. 

We  trust  the  reader  will  pardon  this  little  digres- 
sion. We  considered  it  absolutely  necessary  in  a 
book,  intended  to  contain  every  fact  relative  to  our 
holy  martyr.  They  will  perhaps  thank  us  for  throw- 
ing some  light  upon  the  relics  honored  under  her  name. 
The  solution  was  very  easy  in  as  much  as  it  related 
to  our  history ;  but  the  matter  required  to  be  deli- 
cately handled,  since  it  concerns  the  honor  of  churches. 
Too  frequently,  thoughtless  or  prejudiced  men  have 
attributed  to  fraud,  what  was  the  result  of  an  inno- 
cent error  proceeding  from  a  similarity  of  names. 
We  frankly  acknowledge  that  it  has  given  us  great 
pleasure  to  proclaim  on  this  occasion  a  new  privilege 
extended  to  Cecilia  even  in  her  tomb.  Buried  by 
the  hands  of  a  martyr  Pope,  guarded  in  her  sepul- 
chre by  the  vigilance  of  the  Mother  of  God,  revealed 
to  a  supreme  Pontiff  in  a  heavenly  apparition,  her 
saintly  body  was  found  in  a  perfect  state  of  preserva- 
tion, surrounded  by  the  eloquent  tokens  of  her  mar- 
tyrdom. Paschal  left  it  as  he  found  it,  that  future 
generations  might  share  the  happiness  he  had  en- 
joyed of  contemplating  the  Spouse  of  Christ,  trail 


223  LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

quill v  reposing  in  her  glorious  sleep.  New  wonders 
await  us;  but  let  us  leave  Cecilia,  for  some  centuries 
yet,  calmly  resting,  not  beneath  the  crumbling  vaults 
of  the  Callistus  Cemetery,  but  amidst  the  splendor 
of  her  own  palace. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

EVENTS  RELATING  TO  CECILIA  AND  HER  BASILICA  THROUGHOUT  THE 
COURSE  OF  THE  NINTH  AND  TENTH  CENTURIES.  HOMAGE  RENDERED 
TO  CECILIA  IN  THE  GREEK  LITURGY. 

The  ninth  century,  celebrated  for  the  Translation 
of  innumerable  martyrs  from  the  obscurity  of  the 
Catacombs  to  the  Churches  of  Eome,  was  also  re- 
markable for  the  Martyrologies  compiled  in  various 
countries.  Those  attributed  to  St.  Jerome  and  Ven- 
erable Bede,  were  too  incomplete  to  satisfy  the  piety 
of  the  faithful,  and  the  glory  of  the  church  im- 
peratively demanded  new  and  fuller  details  of  the 
heroism  of  her  saints. 

About  847,  Ehaban  Maur  published  a  work  in- 
tended as  a  supplement  to  the  Martyrology  of  Bede. 
Soun  after,  (359),  St.  Ado,  Archbishop  of  Vienna, 
followed  Ehaban  in  the  same  career,  and  in  876, 
Usuard,  a  monk  of  St.  Germain  des  Pres,  published 
a  Martyrology,  at  the  request  of  Charles  the  Bald. 
This  being  more  correct  than  those  of  his  predeces- 
sors, he  has  the  honor  of  having  prepared  the  vener- 
able text  which  the  Apostolic  See,  after  having  sub- 
mitted it  to  the  learned  Baronius,  presented  to  the 
universal    Church    under  the  name  of  the  Eoman 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  229 

Martyrology.  Such  was  the  Catholic  enthusiasm  in 
this  matter,  in  the  ninth  century,  that  even  in  the 
year  850,  Wandelbert,  a  monk  of  Prum,  opened,  by 
a  martyrology  in  verse,  the  magnificent  series  of 
poems  for  every  day  of  the  Ecclesiastical  year,  which 
comes  down  to  the  seventeenth  century. 

All  these  Martyrologists  speak  of  St.  Cecilia  with 
considerable  detail ;  but  no  one  developes  the  subject 
so  clearly  as  St.  Ado,  who  seems  to  have  wished  to 
give  an  abridgement  of  her  Acts.  The  approbation 
of  so  many  men,  versed  in  the  study  of  sacred  monu- 
ments, gives  additional  authority  to  this  document, 
handed  down  with  so  much  respect  from  the  fifth 
century.  The  authors  of  the  martyrologies  of  the 
ninth  century,  may  have  made  some  errors  here 
and  there;  but  it  would  be  a  serious  literary  injus- 
tice not  to  recognize  as  a  confirmatory  argument, 
their  unanimous  opinion,  concerning  the  value  of  an 
historical  document;  particularly  when  this  docu- 
ment had  been  considered  authentic  in  preceding 
ages.  Men,  influenced  by  undue  partiality,  may 
affect  to  despise  the  testimony  of  Ado  and  Usuard, 
but  we  can  produce  in  favor  of  these  learned  men, 
considered  simply  as  critics,  the  testimony  of  Dom 
Euinart  and  of  Bossuet,  neither  of  whom  can  be 
accused  of  too  blind  admiration  for  the  legendaries 
of  the  middle  age.* 

*  Dom  Ruinart,  in  his  History  of  the  Persecution  of  the  Van- 
dals, wishing  to  prove  the  antiquity  and  authenticity  of  the 
Acts  of  the  holy  Martyrs,  Liboratus  and  his  companions,  oitefl 
in  full  the  notice  given  by  the  Martyrologists  of  the  ninth  oen- 
.  tury,  and  thus  expresses  his  confidence  in  them  :  u  Haec  fusins 
referre  visum  est,  prout  in  illis  authoribus  habentnr,  ut  alarum 
sit  jam  nono  saeculo  persuasum  fuisse  viria  Historic  sacra  stu- 

20 


230  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

The  successors  of  Paschal  inherited  his  interest 
in  the  Basilica  which  he  had  restored  with  so  much 
splendor,  and  adorned  with  such  precious  treasures. 

In  827,  Gregory  IV.  presented  to  the  Altar  of  St. 
Cecilia,  a  fabric  of  velvet  embroidered  with  eagles 
and  griffins,  and  fringed  with  purple  and  gold.* 

In  the  ninth  century,  devotion  to  St.  Cecilia  began 
to  spread  throughout  the  Churches  of  the  East,  where 
her  name  had  not  hitherto  been  inscribed  on  the  list 
of  Saints ;  later,  the  West  accepted  in  return  into  her 
Calends  the  illustrious  virgins  Catherine,  Barbara, 
and  Margaret.  The  discovery  of  Cecilia's  body  not 
only  filled  the  Latin  Church  with  joy,  but  spread  her 
fame  in  countries  where  she  was  comparatively  un- 
known. A  Greek  version  of  her  Acts  appeared  in 
Constantinople  towards  the  end  of  the  same  century. 
Its  translator  was  the  famous  holy  writer  Simon 
.Metaphrastes,  Chancellor  of  the  Emperor  Leo  VI., 
the  philosopher,  who  reigned  from  886  to  911.  "We 
do  not  undertake  the  task  of  defending  this  pious  and 
celebrated  personage  from  the  accusations  made  against 

diosis,  Victorem  nostrum  hujus  sanctorum  monachorum  Pas- 
sionis  authorem  fuisse."  (Historia  persecutionis  Vandalicce,  page 
97,  n°  3.) 

Bossuet  in  la  Defense  de  la  Declaration,  citing,  in  support  of 
his  Thesis,  (the  responsibility  of  which  we  are  far  from  assum- 
ing) a  passage  from  the  Acts  of  St.  Eusebius,  a  priest  of  Rome, 
thus  declares  his  favorable  opinion  of  these  Acts  ;  Hactenus 
Acta,  ubi  innata  simplicitate  ipsa  se  prodit  antiquitatis,  et  quibus 
ejus  generis  Actorum  aliquis  inest  gustus,  hoc  sapient.  Turn 
Usuardus  monachus,  et  Ado  Viennensis  hcec  Acta  viderunt ;  ex  quo- 
rum qurppe  verbis  brevem  illam  quam  suis  Martyrologiis  inse- 
runt,  sancti  Eusebii  contexunt  historiam."  Defensio  cleri  Gal* 
licani,  part  ii,  lib.  xv,  cap.  xxxiv. 

*  Anastas  in  Gregor.    IV. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  231 

0 

him,  but  we  do  certify  that  Metaphrastes  translated 
with  scrupulous  fidelity  the  Eoman  manuscript  of  the 
Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  It  is  easy  to  compare  his  trans- 
lation with  the  original,  and  we  have  done  so  with 
much  pleasure,  as  it  has  enabled  us  to  justify  this 
laborious  writer  whose  services  have  been  hitherto 
repaid  with  ingratitude. 

The  Greek  Menology,  which  corresponds  to  the 
Latin  Martyrology,  was  definitively  compiled  towards 
the  close  of  the  tenth  century.  All  the  amateurs  of 
antique  liturgies  are  well  acquainted  with  the  cele- 
brated manuscript  of  this  book,  compiled  by  order 
of  the  Emper^  Basil  Porphyrogenetes,  who  ascended 
the  Byzantine  throne  in  976.  This  Menology, 
which  was  published  at  Urbino  1727,  with  curious 
vignettes  of  the  first  six  months,  from  September 
to  February,  contains  a  notice  of  St.  Cecilia  on 
the  24th  of  November,  in  the  style  of  the  "West- 
ern Martyr ologies.  To  avoid  repetition  we  will 
not  transcribe  the  passage.  We  merely  wished  to 
mention  this  first  notice  of  the  martyr  in  the  Greek 
liturgy.  The  Church  of  Constantinople,  then  still 
united  to  the  Apostolic  See,  was  not  satisfied  with 
this  purely  historical  homage  rendered  to  St.  Cecilia. 
At  this  time,  was  completed  that  part  of  the  Greek 
Liturgy  which  corresponds  to  our  Proper  Masses  of 
the  Saints ;  they  were  compiled  by  the  most  pious 
and  skilful  among  the  Greek  writers  of  sacred  verses. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  stanzas  dedicated  to  the 
Eoman  virgin: 

"  Cecilia,  worthy  of  all  praise  !  thou  hast  preserved 
thy  body  from  all  stain,  and  thy  heart  from  sensual 
love  !     Thou  hast  presented  thyself  to  thy  Creator  aa 


232  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

an  immaculate  Spouse,  whose  happiness  was  con- 
summated by  martyrdom  ;  He  received  thee  as  a  spot- 
less virgin,  and  owned  thee  as  His  Spouse ! 

11  The  Lord,  in  his  wisdom,  vouchsafed  to  crown 
thy  brow  with  the  fragrance  of  roses,  O  holy  virgin  ! 
Thou  wert  the  link  which  united  two  brothers  in  the 
same  happiness,  and  thy  prayers  assisted  them. 

11  Abandoning  the  impure  worship  of  idols,  they 
proved  themselves  worthy  of  the  mercy  of  Him  who 
was  born  of  a  Virgin,  and  who  permitted  His  blood 
to  be  poured  out  for  us  like  a  precious  perfume. 

"  In  thy  desire  for  the  treasures  of  heaven,  thou 
didst  despise  the  riches  of  earth  ;  disdaining  the  love 
of  mortals,  thou  didst  chose  a  place  among  the  choir 
of  virgins,  and  thy  wisdom  guided  thee  to  the  hea- 
venly Spouse. 

"  Thou  didst  valiantly  combat  and  trample  under 
foot  the  malice  of  the  demon,  0,  thou  honor  of  the 
Athletes  of  Christ  I 

"  Glorious  Cecilia,  august  martyr !  thou  art  the 
holy  temple  of  Christ,  His  noble  dwelling,  His  pure 
abode.  Deign  to  intercede  for  us  who  celebrate  thy 
praises. 

11  Eavished  with  the  beauty  of  Christ,  strengthened 
by  His  love,  sighing  after  His  joys,  thou  didst  die  to 
the  world,  and  wert  found  worthy  of  eternal  life. 

11  A  spiritual  love  made  thee  disdain  the  affections 
of  earth ;  thy  discourse,  replenished  with  wisdom, 
inflamed  the  heart  of  thy  Spouse  with  the  love  of 
holy  virginity ;  thou  art  now  united  with  Him  in 
the  choirs  of  angels.  0,  martyr,  worthy  of  heaven's 
reward ! 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  233 

"  An  angelof  light  was  ever  by  thy  side,  surrounding 
thee  with  divine  splendor;  His  arm  guarded  thy  purity, 
and  kept  thee  ever  chaste  and  pleasing  to  Christ. 

"  Thou,  0,  Valerian,  didst  desire  baptism ;  an  envoy 
from  heaven  appeared ;  he  enlightened  thy  mind,  de- 
claring to  thee  the  sacred  oracles ;  he  enrolled  thy  name 
among  the  heavenly  choir,  whilst  thou  wert  yet  com- 
bating on  earth." 

11  Thou,  0,  Tiburtius !  quitting  the  path  of  error, 
didst  gain  the  knowledge  of  heavenly  things ;  de- 
spising this  perishable  life,  thou  didst  eagerly  hasten 
to  immortality ;  believing  in  the  adorable  Trinity 
with  thy  whole  soul,  thou  hast  combated  as  a  valiant 
warrior  !  O,  Cecilia !  the  desire  of  possessing  God, 
and  His  holy  love,  burned  in  thy  inmost  soul,  and 
consumed  thy  entire  being  ;  thou  wert  an  angel  in  a 
mortal  frame.  With  intrepid  courage  thou  didst 
bare  thy  neck  to  the  sword ;  thy  blood  consecrated 
the  ground  which  received  it,  and  thy  soul  sanctified 
the  air  in  its  flight  to  heaven. 

"The  three  children  changed  the  flames  of  the 
fiery  furnace  into  dew,  and  thou,  Cecilia,  by  the  vir- 
tue of  the  baptismal  waters,  sang,  like  them,  in  the 
midst  of  seething  vapors:  '  Be  thou  blessed,  O-God 
of  my  fathers!'  Thou  art  the  enclosed  garden,  the 
sealed  fountain,  the  veiled  loveliness,  the  glorious 
Spouse  adorned  with  a  brilliant  diadem,  the  bloom- 
ing paradise  of  the  Heavenly  King,  0,  Cecilia,  re- 
plenished with  God  I" 


234  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

EVENTS  RELATING  TO  CECILIA  AND  HER  BASILICA  THROUGHOUT  THE 
ELEVENTH,  TWELFTH,  THIRTEENTH,  AND  FOURTEENTH  CENTURIES. 
VENERATION    PAID   TO     THE    ROMAN    VIRGIN    IN  FRANCE. 

The  eleventh,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Christian 
centuries,  owes  its  principal  glory  to  Saint  Gregory 
VII.  This  Pontiff'  could  not  fail  to  venerate  the 
generous  virgin,  who  had  won  the  admiration  of 
Urban,  in  the  heroic  days  of  faith.  Gregory,  the 
martyr  of  Christian  liberty,  whose  energetic  and 
tender  soul  showed  its  power  in  the  struggle  against 
the  Empire,  at  the  same  time  that  it  poured  forth  its 
sweetness  in  his  letters  to  the  pious  Countess  Matilda, 
was  devoted  to  Cecilia's  glory,  and  humbly  solicited 
her  patronage.  He  renewed  the  altar  of  the  trans- 
Tiberian  Basilica,  embellished  it  with  a  silver  statue 
of  the  saint,  and  solemnly  dedicated  it  in  1075,  the 
third  year  of  his  Pontificate.  The  inscription  which 
recalls  this  event,  was  placed  in  the  crypt,  where  it 
was  seen  in  the  thirteenth  century,  when  the  altar 
was  renewed.     It  is  thus  conceived  : 

f    DEDICATVM   EST   HOC   ALTAEE 
DIE   III.   MENSIS   IVKII   PER   DNVM 
GREGORIVM   PP.   VII.   AN3T0    DNI   MLXXV, 

When  this  giant  of  the  Lord  had  finished  his  course, 
and  traced  out  a  path  for  his  successors,  he  expired 
at  Salerno,  pronouncing  these  forcible  words,  which 
will  re-echo  throughout  ages :  "I  have  loved  justice 
and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  do  I  die  an  exile.'' 
His  death  occurred  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  feast 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  235 

of  St.  Urban;  hence  the  names  of  these  two  great* 
Pontiffs  were  united  in  the  Christian  calendar,  as 
they  had  been  in  their  reverence  for  Cecilia.  This 
holy  martyr  assisted  the  Eoman  Church  in  the 
eleventh  century,  with  even  more  power  than  in  the 
days  of  Almachius.* 

At  this  period,  the  different  altars  of  the  Basilica 
were  rebuilt  and  consecrated  anew,  and  the  Cardinal 
Bishops  were  so  eager  to  obtain  the  favor  of  the 
Spouse  of  Christ,  that  they  would  not  permit  any 
other  prelates  to  dedicate  them.  We  find  from  an 
ancient  deed,  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Basilica, 
that  the  altar  of  our  Saviour,  situated  to  the  left  of 
that  of  the  Confession,  was  dedicated  on  the  22d  of 
May,  1060,  by  Humbert,  Bishop  of  St.  Eufine,  the 
same  who  was  so  zealous  for  the  interests  of  the 
Apostolic  See,  when  sent  as  legate  to  Constantinople, 
at  the  time  when  Byzantium  was  preparing  to  con- 
summate her  schism.  This  same  bishop  was  also  sent 
on  a  mission  to  France,  where,  by  his  zeal,  he  crushed 
the  heresy  of  Berengarius. 

John,  Bishop  of  Porto,  who  exerted  so  much  in- 

*  This  blending  of  the  names  of  Sts.  Urban  and  Gregory  VII. 
on  the  25th  of  May,  was  remarked  in  the  eleventh  century  by 
the  contemporary  biographer  of  the  latter  Pontiff,  and  we  can- 
not resist  the  pleasure  of  citing  his  eloquent  remarks  upon  the 
heroic  death  of  Gregory  : 

Itaque  septiformi  gratia  plenus  Septimi  Gregorii  spiritus,  qui 
mundum  et  principes  ejus  arguebat  de  peccato,  et  de  injustitia 
et  de  judicio,  in  fortitudine  ccolestis  cibi  nuper  accepti,  ccolestem 
viam  arripiens,  meritoque  divini  zeli,  velut  igneo  curru  instar 
Elise  subvectus,  Urbani  prcedecessoris  sui  cujus  ea  die  festivitOB 
txtitit,  omniumque  beatorum  loctitiam  in  coelesti  gloria  cum 
Christo  gaudentium  excellenter  ampliavit.  Paulus  Bernrieden 
S.  Gregorii  V1J.  vita,  Cap.  xii.  Ada  SS.  Maiu  Tome  vi.  page  102, 


236  .         LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

fluence  in  the  election  of  Gregory  VII.,  to  whom  he 
remained  inviolably  faithful,  consecrated  on  the  25th 
of  May,  1071,  the  altar  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  and, 
on  the  3d,  of  January,  1072,  that  of  St.  John,  ad 
fontem. 

As  we  before  stated,  the  bath  room  in  which 
Cecilia  suffered  martyrdom,  had  been  transformed 
into  a  chapel ;  Ubald,  Bishop  of  Sabine,  dedicated 
its  altar  on  the  17th  of  September,  1073.*  Finally, 
the  altar  of  St.  Mammes,  situated  to  the  left  of  the 
grand  altar,  was  consecrated  on  the  24th  of  February, 
1098,  under  the  pontificate  of  Urban  II.  by  Maurice, 
Bishop  of  Porto. f 

Thus,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eleventh  century, 
the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia  seemed  to  share  in  the 
universal  renovation,  which  was  felt  throughout  the 
whole  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Before  his  death,  Gregory  VII.  had  designated  as 
his  successor,  Didier,  the  Abbot  of  Mont  Cassin, 
Titulary  Cardinal  of  St.  Cecilia's  church.  After  a 
determined  refusal  of  nine  months,  the  humble 
monk  finally  yielded,  and,  under  the  name  of  Victor 
III.  assumed  the  government  of  the  Church.  He 
directed  it  with  great  success  for  eighteen  months, 
when  he  was  called  to  receive  the  reward  of  the  elect. 
The  trans-Tiberian  Basilica  counted  in  him  the  third 
Pontiff  she  had  given  to  the  universal  church. 

The  twelfth  century  offers  us  some  graceful  stanzas 

in  honor  of  St.  Cecilia,  found  in  a  long  sequence  upon 

Christian    virginity,    attributed    to    the   venerable 

*  Altare  Sanctse  Ceciliae,  quod  est  in  Balneo  ejus. 
t  See  in  Laderchi,  Vol  ii,  page  10-15,  thfl  deed  which  relates 
to  the  dedication  of  these  altars. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  237 

Aelred,  a  Cistercian  monk  of  the  Abbey  of  Kieval, 
in  England.*  She  is  also  mentioned  with  praise  in 
a  discourse  of  the  learned  and  pious  Honorius 
of  Autun.  We  find  in  the  three  following  centuries, 
innumerable  sermons  in  honor  of  this  glorious  mar- 
tyr, written  by  the  most  talented  men  of  the  middle 
age.  William  of  Paris,  Albert  the  Great,  St.  Thomas 
of  Aquin,  St.  Bonaventure,  St.  Vincent  Ferrier,  are 
among  the  panegyrists  of  St.  Cecilia.  We  regret 
that  the  style  of  these  authors  is  too  dry  to  admit  of 

*  Istos  nores  virtutis  geminae, 
Transplant avit  in  mente  virgine 
Filius  hominis. 

Quos  diversos  facit  nativitas, 
Non  disjungit  nlla  diversitas 
In  caput  Virginis. 

Rosa  floris  cornscat  libere, 
Flos  lilii  non  minus  prospere 
Candet  interius. 

Quos  attulit  Sanctae  Caeciliae, 
De  secreto  divinae  patriae 
Coelestis  nuncius. 

Ne  flagraret  carnis  concubitu, 
Conflagrata  divino  spiritu 
Caro  puellulae. 

Nee  timeret  ensem  sanguineum 
Vel  catastae  stridorem  ferreum 
Corpus  juvenculae. 

Mancipata  divino  cultui, 
Consecravit  Sancto  Spiritui 
Suum  conjugium. 

Spiritali  rore  refrigerans 
JEstus  carnis,  mundique  temperans 
Onine  ludibrium. 
Biblioth,  vett  Patrum,  tome  xxiii,  page  168- 


238  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

our  citing  any  passages  from  their  sermons,  which 
are  rather  scholastic  than  oratorical.  They  are,  how- 
ever, precious  links  in  the  uninterrupted  chain  of 
homage  paid  to  the  memory  of  the  generous  mar- 
tyr throughout  the  course  of  ages. 

Many  other  historians  of  this  period  were  equally 
eager  to  celebrate  Cecilia's  merits ;  Vincent  de  Beau- 
vaisinhis  "  Historical  Mirror  "  Jacques  DeVoragine 
in  his  Golden  Legend,  Peter  De  Natalibus  in  his  Lives 
of  the  Saints,  and  finally  Saint  Antoninus,  in  his 
Chronicle,  are  distinguished  among  others  for  the 
accuracy  with  which  they  have  adhered  to  the  sub- 
stance of  the  primitive  Acts.  The  Church  at  this 
time  shone  with  the  virtues  and  prodigies  of  the 
Saints  who  illustrated  the  last  three  centuries  of  the 
Middle  Age.  Cecilia's  name  was  dear  to  all  the  friends 
of  God,  and  this  glorious  Spouse  of  Christ  frequently 
rewarded  their  love  by  appearing  to  them.  St.  Domi- 
nic saw  the  Mother  of  God  enter  the  dormitory  of  his 
disciples,  accompanied  by  Cecilia.*  The  Queen  of 
Angels  appeared  to  the  Blessed  Eeginald,  to  reveal  to 
him  his  vocation  to  the  order  of  Friar  Preachers  and 
on  that  occasion  also  was  attended  by  Cecilia.f  Some 
of  the  brightest  spirits  of  heaven  were  sent  to  console 
St.  Peter  of  Verona  with  pious  colloquies,  and  the 
future  martyr  was  likewise  favored  with  a  vision 
of  St.  Cecilia  resplendent  with  glory,  and  accom- 
panied by  Agnes  and  Catherine.^ 

The  Blessed  Oringa,  a  Florentine  virgin,  avoided 
without  effort  all  the  dangers  which  threatened  her 

*-Acta  SS.  Augusti,  vol.  i. 

f  Theodorio  de  Appoldia.  lib.  ii.  cap.  xiii. 

t  Acta  SS.  Aprilis,  tome  iii. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  239 

chastity,  and  the  infernal  spirits  being  interrogated 
by  a  libertine,  who  was  tired  of  soliciting  her  in  vain, 
replied,  that  the  servant  of  God  was  under  the  guar- 
dianship of  the  same  Angel  who  had  protected  the 
virginity  of  Cecilia.  St.  Frances,  the  Eoman  pro- 
phetess of  the  fifteenth  century,  before  founding  her 
celebrated  monastery  of  Turrem  Speculorum,  had 
chosen  for  her  favorite  resort  the  Church  of  St. 
Cecilia,  which  was  not  far  from  the  palace  Ponziani 
where  she  dwelt.  She  loved  to  partake  of  the  holy 
mysteries  near  the  Virgin's  tomb ;  where  often,  rapt 
in  ecstacy,  she  heard  and  saw  the  mysteries  of  hea- 
ven. There  also  she  buried  her  two  children,  whom 
the  Lord  called  to  Himself  in  their  infancy — Evange- 
list, in  his  9th  year,  and  Agnes  not  yet  five.*  France 
also  joined  in  the  homages  which  were  universally 
rendered  to  Cecilia.  Bernard  of  Chatenet,  Bishop 
of  Alby,  on  the  15th  of  August,  1282,  laid  the 
corner  stone  of  his  magnificent  Cathedral,  one  of  the 
most  astonishing  specimens  of  the  ogive  architecture 
in  France,  and  the  most  imposing  of  all  the  monu- 
ments erected  in  Cecilia's  honor.  The  work  was 
carried   on    by   the    Bishops,    Berald   de    Fargues, 

*  Acta  SS.  Martii  tome  ii.  We  regret  that  it  is  impossible 
to  insert  among  the  communications  which  the  servants  of  God 
have  had  with  St.  Cecilia,  several  admirable  incidents  of  the  life 
of  the  Venerable  Mother  Agnes  of  Jesus,  prioress  of  the  Domi- 
nican convent  at  Langeac.  This  great  Saint  professed  a  special 
devotion  to  our  martyr,  and  was  frequently  honored  by  her 
visits.  The  interviews  which  took  place  between  the  glorified 
and  the  militant  Virgin,  may  be  found  in  full  in  La  vie  de  la 
Mere  Agnes  de  Jesus  par  l'Abbe  de  Lantages  pages  230,  608,  611. 
We  shall  find  in  these  interviews  all  the  strength  and  tender- 
ness so  admirably  depicted  in  the  Acts  ol"  the  Itoiuan  Virgin. 


240  LIFE  OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

Jean  de  Sayo,  Guillaume  de  la  Voulte,  and,  finally, 
Louis  d'Amboise  who  dedicated  it  on  the  23d  of 
April,  1480  ;  it  was  not,  however,  entirely  completed 
until  1512,  wlien  Charles  de  Eobertet  was  bishop  of 
Alby.  Built  of  brick  which  has  become  blackened 
by  time,  terminated  at  the  western  extremity  by  an 
immense  tower  which  rests  on  four  galleries  and 
rises  four  hundred  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  Tarn, 
the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  d'Alby,  with  its  severe 
aspect,  and  walls  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  in 
height,  looks  more  like  a  formidable  fortress,  than  a 
temple  consecrated  to  the  Virgin  whose  name  it  bears. 
But  the  interior  of  this  noble  building  is  such  as 
befits  the  sanctuary  of  the  Queen  of  Harmony.  Its 
vast  nave,  destitute  of  columns,  rearing  its  vaulted 
roof  ninety-two  feet  above  the  pavement,  and  sur- 
rounded by  twenty-nine  chapels,  presents  an  animated 
appearance,  not  only  on  account  of  the  graceful  and 
yet  imposing  effect  of  its  domes  and  arches,  but  also 
from  the  admirable  blending  of  statuary  and  painting. 
This  Church  is  deservedly  considered  the  most  com- 
plete in  all  its  parts,  of  any,  this  side  of  the  Alps. 

In  an  architectural  point  of  view,  we  cannot  suffi- 
ciently admire  the  marvellous  art  with  which  the 
progressive  developments  of  the  ogival  style  are 
blended.  All  is  correct ;  no  violent  transition  offends 
the  eye,  or  disturbs  the  graceful  effect  of  the  united 
whole.  The  choir  corresponds  with  the  rest  of  the 
edifice.  Louis  d'Amboise  placed  opposite  to  one  of 
the  side  doors,  the  effigy  of  Constantine,  and  oppo- 
site to  the  other,  that  of  Charlemagne.  The  interior 
is  adorned  with  a  prodigious  number  of  graceful  and 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  241 

elegant  statues,  placed  in  fanciful  stone  niches. 
That  nothing  may  be  wanting  to  this  sublime  Cathe- 
dral, the  whole  edifice  is  covered  with  paintings. 
Scenes  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  and  from 
the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  the  History  of  the  Church, 
the  Last  Judgment  and  the  torments  of  hell,  cover 
the  pilasters,  the  walls,  and  the  small  chapels.  The 
rich  azure  of  the  vaulted  ceiling  is  also  resplendant 
with  brilliant  and  graceful  designs,  a  harmonious 
profusion  of  fanciful  arabesques,  ornaments  of  the 
acanthus,  escutcheons,  and  medallions,  sparkling 
with  gold,  which  is  as  fresh  as  the  ultramarine 
ground  work  that  relieves  the  whole.  Such,  in  a 
few  words,  is  a  description  of  the  superb  sanctuary 
which  the  piety  of  France  has  dedicated  to  Cecilia,  but 
the  veneration  of  the  French  people  towards  the  heroic 
virgin,  was  manifested  even  in  Eome.  Guillame  de 
Bois-Eatier,  Archbishop  of  Bourges,  in  his  zeal  for 
Cecilia's  glory,  descended  into  the  crypts  of  the 
Appian  Way,  and  finding  that  the  tomb  which,  for 
six  centuries,  had  preserved  her  body,  was  unorna- 
mented,  he  caused  the  empty  sepulchre  of  the  great 
martyr  to  be  embellished  at  his  own  expense.*  The 
monument  which  he  erected  has  been  destroyed ; 
but  the  inscription  which  may  still  be  seen,  bears 
the  following  words : 

HIC  QVONDAM  RECONDITVM 

FVIT  CORPVS  BEAT^E  CiECILI^E 

VIRGINIS  ET  MARTYRIS. 

*  Labbe.  Biblioth.  MSS.t  tome  ii.  page  130. 
2L 


242  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

HOC  OPVS  FECIT  FIERI  REVERENDISSIMVS 

PATER  DOMINVS  GVILLELMVS  ARCIEPS 
BITVRICENSIS  ANNO  DOMINI  MCCCC  NONO.^ 

More  than  once,  French  Cardinals  presided  as 
Titularies,  in  the  marble  pulpit  which  was  erected 
in  the  centre  of  the  apsis  of  the  Church,  so  proud 
of  containing  the  relics  of  its  noble  patroness.  The 
most  illustrious  of  all  was  u.n questionably  Simon  de 
Brie,  who  was  created  Cardinal  by  Urban  IV.,  in 
1262,  and  placed  upon  the  Apostolic  Chair  under 
the  name  of  Martin  IV.,  in  1281.  He  was  the 
fourth  Pope  appointed  from  the  Church  of  Saint 
Cecilia.  This  Pontiff,  who  governed  Christendom 
with  honor  during  the  short  space  of  four  years, 
presented  two  donations  to  the  Basilica  as  a  proof 
of  his  devotion.  The  first  was  a  silver  statue, 
adorned  with  precious  stones  ;f  the  second,  a  much 
more  valuable  gift,  was  the  promotion  of  John 
Cholet,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  to  the  Cardinalate  with 
the  Title  of  Presbyter  of  St.  Cecilia's  church.  This 
prelate  was  very  successful  in  important  legations 
to  France  and  Arragon ;  he  also  founded  in  Paris 
the  college  which  for  a  long  time  bore  his  name.J 

In  1283,  he  rebuilt  with  magnificence  the  Altar 
of  the  Confession,  which  had  been  consecrated  by 
Gregory  VII.  two  centuries  previously.     With  the 

*  Here  formerly  reposed  the  body  of  the  Blessed  Cecilia,  Vir- 
gin and  Martyr.  This  monument  was  erected  by  order  of  Wil- 
liam, Archbishop  of  Bourges,  the  year  of  onr  Lord  1409. 

f  Ciaccouius.  Vitce  et  res  gestie  Pontificum  Romanorum  et  S.  R< 
E.  Cardinallum,  tome  ii,  page  238. 

%  Ibid,  page  239. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  243 

exception  of  some  embellishments  made  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  of  which  we  shall  speak  later,  the 
altar  is  the  same  used  at  the  present  day.  The  in- 
scription engraven  upon  it  by  the  architect  of  John 
Cholet  in  the  thirteenth  century,  runs  thus: 

HOC    OPVS   FECIT   ARNVLFVS   ANNO    MCCLXXXIII. 

Vasari  thinks  that  the  Arnulphe  above  mentiotied 
is  the  celebrated  ornamental  painter  Arnolfo  di 
Lapo.  The  altar  is  ornamented  with  a  rich  mosaic 
upon  a  slab  of  that  beautiful  violet-colored  marble 
called  paonazzeito.  Arnolfo's  work  is  completed  by 
a  ciborium  formed  of  four  columns  of  black  marble, 
spotted  with  white,  called  by  the  Italians  preconesio. 

Under  Clement  V.,  in  1312,  the  Church  of  St.  Ce- 
cilia was  again  confided  to  a  French  Cardinal,  Gruil- 
laume  Godin,  of  the  order  of  Friar  Preachers,  who 
at  a  later  period  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Sabine.* 
Clement  VI.,  in  1342,  entrusted  it  to  Guy  of  Bou- 
logne, Archbishop  of  Lyons,  who  resigned  that  See  in 
the  same  year,  and  became  Bishop  of  Porto.f  In 
the  following  century,  in  1426,  Martin  V.  bestowed 
the  title  of  St.  Cecilia  upon  the  last  French  bishop, 
whose  name  was  placed  among  the  Beatified.  This 
was  Louis  d'Alleman,  Archbishop  of  Aries,  famous 
for  hostility  to  the  Holy  See  in  the  conventicle  of 
Basle,  but  more  happily  celebrated  for  the  generous 
confession  of  his  fault,  at  the  feet  of  Nicholas  V.J  who 
restored  to  him  the  title  of  which  Eugene  IV.  had 

*  Ciaoconius,  tome  ii.,  pago  384. 

f  Ibid.,  page  403.     Gallia  Christiana,  tome  iv.,  p.  105. 

J  Ibid.,  pa^o  841. 


244  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

deprived  him.  Louis  d'AUeman  was  succeeded  in 
the  Church  of  Saint  Cecilia  by  another  French  pre- 
late, who  had  followed  him  in  the  path  of  error,  and 
who  had  also  imitated  the  sincerity  of  lr.s  repentance, 
Louis  'de  la  Palu,  whose  public  career  commenced 
with  the  council  of  Constance.  He  had  been  created 
cardinal  by  Nicholas  V.,  in  1449.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  there  were  many  French  cardinals  who  held 
the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  first  was  Gabriel  de 
Grandmont,  Bishop  of  Tarbes,  who  was  promoted  to 
the  purple  by  Clement  VII.  He  died  in  1534,  after 
having  occupied  the  Sees  of  Poitiers,  Bordeaux,  and 
Toulouse.  The  next,  under  Paul  III.,  was  John  of 
Bellay,  Bishop  of  Paris,  who  governed  at  the  same 
time  the  Churches  of  Limoges,  Mans,  and  afterwards 
Bordeaux ;  he  was  but  a  short  time  titulary  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia.  In  1560,  he  died,  Bishop  of 
Ostia*  Eobert  de  Lenoncourt,  Bishop  of  Chalons- 
sur-Marne,  created  cardinal  by  Paul  III.,  obtained  in 
his  turn  the  title  of  St.  Cecilia.f  This  prelate,  who, 
according  to  a  still  prevailing  abuse,  possessed  at  the 
same  time  several  bishoprics,  is  the  same  who  erected 
in  the  Church  attached  to  the  Abbey  of  Eheims,  the 
magnificent  tomb  of  the  Apostle  of  the  French. 
Finally,  the  last  French  cardinal,  who  held  the  title 
of  St.  Cecilia,  was  Charles  de  Guise  of  the  house  of 
Lorraine,  Archbishop  of  Eheims,  who  received  the 
cardinal's  hat  in  1547.  Like  the  two  preceding,  he 
was  promoted  to  this  dignity  by  Paul  III4     The  in- 

*  Ciaccoilrus,  tome  iii.,  page  568. 
t  Ibid.,  page  646. 
X  I  bid. ,  page  724. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  245 

.  fluence  of  this  prelate  in  the  general  affairs  of  the 
Church,  more  especially  at  the  Council  of  Trent,  is 
well  known. 

We  cannot  conclude  this  chapter  without  mention- 
ing an  illustrious  cardinal  who  held  the  title  of  St. 
Cecilia  in  the  fourteenth  century.  He  does  not  indeed 
belong  to  France,  like  those  we  have  just  mentioned, 
being  an  Englishman  and  a  Benedictine;  but  his 
literary  fame  sheds  a  glory  over  his  country  and  his 
order.  Adam  Eston,  a  professed  friar  of  the  Abbey 
of  Norwich,  was  the  most  accomplished  hebraist  of 
his  time,  and  the  catalogue  of  his  writings  would 
alone  be  sufficient  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  the 
learned  men  of  Lis  age.  Urban  VI.  rewarded  such 
exalted  merit  with  the  honors  of  the  purple,  Eston's 
career  was,  nevertheless,  a  stormy  one,  and  from  the 
time  of  his  elevation  to  the  cardinalate,  he  knew  no 
repose  until  the  day  when,  having  yielded  his  soul 
to  God,  his  mortal  remains  were  deposited  in  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  following  epitaph  was 
placed  upon  his  tomb : 

ARTIBVS  ISTE  PATER  FAMOSVS  IN  OMNIBVS  ADAM 

THEOLOGVS  SUMMVS  CARDI-QUE-NALIS  ERAT. 

ANGLIA  CVI  PATRIAM  TITVLVM  DEDIT  ISTA  BEATiE 

^EDES  CECILIA  MORSQVE  BEATA  POLVM* 

*  Ciacconius.     Ibid.,  tome  ii.,  page  649.     Ziegelbauer,   Hist, 
rci  litter ar.  0.  S.  B.,  tome  iii.,  p.  185  et  seq. 


2V 


246  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

EVENTS  RELATING  TO  CECILIA  AND  HER  BASILICA  THROUGHOUT  THE 
FIFTEENTH  AND  SIXTEENTH  CENTURIES.  HOMAGE  PAID  BY  LITER- 
ATURE AND  THE  ARTS  TO  THE  ROMAN  VIRGIN. 

In  the  year  1484,  the  Bacilica  of  St.  Cecilia  gave 
a  fifth  Pope  to  the  Church,  John  Baptist  Cibo,  under 
the  name  of  Innocent  VIII  *  A  short  time  after  his 
exaltation,  he  invested  Lawrence  Cibo,  his  nephew, 
with  the  purple,  giving  him  at  first  the  title  of  St. 
Susanna,  which  he  afterwards  changed  for  that  of 
St.  Cecilia.  This  cardinal  was  very  munificent  in 
his  donations  to  the  Basilica.  He  restored  the  inner 
porch,  renewed  the  chapel  of  the  bathroom,  where 
his  coat  of  arms  may  still  be  seen;  but  he  respected 
the  altar  and  pavement  of  this  venerable  sanctuary, 
and  these  preserve  their  mediaeval  character. 

Numerous  modifications  successively  made  in  this 
chapel,  had  entirely  destroyed  its  primitive  charac- 
ter. Pompey  Ugonius,  who  wrote  in  1588,  declares 
that  in  his  time  this  sacred  place  was  called  the  Thal- 
amus or  Oratorium  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  that  there  were 
old  men  who  remembered  having  venerated  in  their 
youth  the  bathroom,  in  which  the  holy  virgin  suffered 
martvrdom  ;  but  he  adds,  that  all  traces  of  this  room 
had  disappeared,  either  because  it  had  not  been  con- 

*  Among  the  gifts  presented  by  the  Cardinal  J.  B.  Cibo  to  this 
Basilica,  was  an  immense  bell  which  he  placed  in  the  chapel, 
although  it  already  contained  three  of  smaller  dimensions,  dating 
back  to  the  year  1311 :  MSS.  Vatican,  de  Gallctti.  8025  Santa 
Cecilia,  tome  i. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  247 

sidered  a  monument  of  much,  importance,  or  from 
some  other  reason. 

In  the  eleventh  century,  tradition  expressly  de- 
clared that  Cecilia's  bathroom  was  in  this  place,  and 
that  Cardinal  Ubaldus,  Bishop  of  Sabine,  had  dedi- 
cated an  altar  there  in  1073.  Before  long  all  un- 
certainty will  cease,  and  we  shall  see  this  holy  place, 
such  as  it  appeared  on  the  day  of  Cecilia's  martyr- 
dom, thus  restoring  to  her  dwelling  its  most  import- 
ant apartment  to  which  are  linked  the  most  sacred 
remembrances. 

The  monks  of  the  monastery,  which  St.  Paschal 
built  near  the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia,  did  not  persevere 
in  the  practice  of  the  Benedictine  Eules,  and  the 
building,  like  many  others,  was  finally  changed  into 
a  collegiate  church.  Thenceforth  Divine  service  was 
not  celebrated  with  the  same  zeal  at  Cecilia's  tomb. 
In  1417,  Martin  V.  gave  the  Church  and  monastery 
to  the  congregation  of  the  Saviour,  founded  by  St. 
Bridget  ;*  but  these  religious  did  not  long  retain 
possession  of  it,  and  before  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century  the  Benedictines  were  once  more  established 
at  Sancta  Cecilia,  f 

The  Lombard  congregation  of  the  Humiliati,  a 
branch  of  the  Benedictines,  were  installed  in  the 
monastery  after  the  departure  of  the  Brigittines  ;  but 
from  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  con- 
gregation became  so  reduced  that  their  number  was 

*  Ciacconius,  tome  ii.,  page  825. 

f  This  is  proved  by  a  sepulchral  inscription,  found  in  the 
Basilica,  which  dates  hack  to  the  year  1475,  and  certifies  that 
from  that  time  the  Church  and  monastery  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  Humiliati. 


218  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

not  sufficiently  large  to  take  charge  of  the  monasteries 
placed  under  their  care.  Clement  VII.  concluded  to 
make  it  a  commendatory  benifice,  and,  in  1532,  con- 
ferred it  upon  Cardinal  Franciotto  Orsini.*  This 
venerable  sanctuary  had  been  so  sadly  neglected 
during  these  disastrous  years,  that  it  was  barely  pos- 
sible to  celebrate  the  Divine  office  in  it  on  the  feast 
of  St.  Cecilia,  and  on  the  day  of  the  station  which 
was  solemnized  each  year  in  this  Basilica  on  the 
Wednesday  of  the  second  week  of  Lent.  It  seemed 
God's  will  to  send  these  dark  clouds  as  a  prelude  to 
the  incomparable  splendor  which  was  destined  in 
1527  to  illuminate  this  Basilica  and  restore  the  glory 
which  had  suffered  a  momentary  eclipse. 

At  the  time  when  the  commendary  seemed  about 
to  destroy  Paschal's  pious  foundation,  the  Lord 
inspired  one  of  his  servants  with  a  design  which 
saved  it.  Maura  Magalotta,  the  pious  abbess  of  the 
Benedictines  of  the  Campus  Martius,  urged  Clem- 
ent VII.  to  allow  her  the  privilege  of  going  to  dwell 
with  those  of  her  sisters  who  wished  to  accompany 
her  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  that  she 
might  not  interfere  with  the  congregation  of  the  Hu- 
miliati,  to  whom  the  house  was  supposed  to  belong, 
she  offered  to  adopt  their  Constitutions. 

The  Pope  was  both  edified  and  pleased  with  the 
proposition  of  the  abbess;  but  he  could  not  grant 
her  request  without  the  consent  of  the  Titulary  Car- 
dinal. This  Franciotto  Orsini  generously  gave,  and 
in  honor  of  St.  Cecilia  resigned  the  rich  benifice 
which  had  been  bestowed  upon  him  four  yea^s  pre 
*  Laderchi,  tome  ii.,  page  284. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  249 

viously.  Clement  VII.  had  at  this  time  retired  to 
the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  where  he  was  besieged  by 
the  Constable  de  Bourbon.  From  this  fortress  he 
dated  the  Bull  which  ensured  the  permanent  cele- 
bration of  the  Divine  office  in  the  Basilica,  accord- 
ing to  St.  Paschal's  intentions.  The  Bull  was  dated 
the  seventh  of  the  Calends  of  July,  in  Arce  Sancti 
Angeli;  it  authorized  the  removal  of  Mother  Maura 
Magalotta  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Cecilia,  creating  her 
abbess  of  the  congregation  of  the  Humiliati,  under 
the  rule  of  St.  Benedict.* 

It  is  well  known  that  this  order  was  suppressed 
by  St.  Pius  V.  in  1575,  in  punishment  of  an  attempt 
made  by  one  of  its  members  at  Milan  to  assassinate 
St.  Charles  Borromeo ;  but  the  Pontiff,  far  from  ex- 
tending this  chastisement  to  the  monastery  of  St. 
Cecilia,  which  was  flourishing  with  so  much  edifica- 
cation,  took  it  under  his  special  protection,  and  en- 
riched it  with  new  privileges.  Later,  the  female  con- 
gregation of  the  Humiliati  having  become  extinct,  the 
Benedictines  of  the  Campus  Martius  were  called 
upon  to  take  charge  of  the  monastery.  In  memory 
of  their  sisters,  who  had  been  established  here  by 
Clement  VII.,  the  nuns  of  St.  Cecilia  wear  the  white 
habit  formerly  worn  by  the  Humiliati. 

Maura  Magalotta  devoted  herself  with  zeal  to  the 
reparation  of  her  dear  Basilica,  which  was  somewhat 
dilapidated,  and  made  important  improvements  in 
the  monastery,  the  enclosure  of  which  she  enlarged. 
An  inscription  placed  over  the  principal  door  of  this 

*  Laderchi,  tome  ii.,  page  313. 


250  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

holy  house  records  the  services  of  the  worthy  abbess,* 
who  died  on  the  17th  of  May,  1566,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  She  was  buried  in  the  Basilica,  before 
the  altar  of  the  Confession,  by  Mother  Scholastica 
Serleoni,  who  succeeded  her.f 

In  1584,  under  Gregory  XIII.,  two  altars  were 
re-dedicatecl  in  St.  Cecilia's  Church.  One  of  the  two 
had  borne  the  title  of  St.  Mammes,  and  had  been 
consecrated  in  1098,  as  we  before  stated,  by  Maurice, 
Bishop  of  Porto,  under  Urban  II.  It  was  now  des- 
tined to  be  the  altar  of  the  blessed  sacrament,  and 
was  dedicated  on  the  7th  of  August,  by  Thomas 
Goldwell,  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph.;};  The  relics  which 
had  served  for  the  first  consecration,  in  1098,  were 
again  placed  in  the  altar.  Among  these  relics, 
were  found  some  bones  attributed  to  St.  Cecilia ; 
we  have  already  spoken  of  them,  but  the  moment 
was  now  approaching,  when  it  was  to  be  fully  proved 
that  they  could  not  have  belonged  to  our  martyr. 

In  the  preceding  }rear,  Gregory  XIII.  had  given 
the  purple  to  Nicholas  Sfondrato,    Bishop  of  Cre- 

*  Maura  Magalotta  Abbatissa,  a  Clemente  VII.,  et  Franciotto 
cardinali  Orsino  praeposito  hue  accita,  sedem  banc  divae  Caecilise 
sacram,  quam  monachi  Humiliatorum  S.  Benedicti  obtinebant. 
in  pnesentis  nionasterii,  ejusdem  ordinis  monialium  formani 
redegit,  eainque  pene  collabentem  restituit,  adjectis  insuper 
hortis,  quorum  etiam  ut  honestior  usus  esset,  claustrali  eos 
muro  cinxit,  anno  a  partu  Virginis  mdxxxi. 

f  D.  0.  M.  Maura  Magalotta,  per  triennium  Abbatissa  raonas- 
terii Canrpi  Martii,  deinde  a  Clemente  VII.,  Pont.  Max.  Abbatissa 
perpetua  monasterii  Sanctae  Caecilise  creata,  quae  instituit,  in- 
stauravit  etdotavit.  Obiit  anno  Dni  mdlxvi.  xvi.  Kal.  Junii,  vitse 
suae  an.  lxxii.  Scolastica  Serleoni  Rom.  Abbatissa,  et  suffecta 
posuit. 

t  Ladercbi,  tome  ii.  pages  340  and  406. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  251 

mona.  This  Prelate,  who  was  of  an  illustrious 
Milanese  family,  and  of  distinguished  piety,  received 
the  Title  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  seven  years  after  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  He  took  the  name 
of  Gregory  XIV.  and  was  the  seventh  Pope  from  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia.  After  ten  months  of  a  brilli- 
ant Pontificate,  he  died,  but  fortunately  not  before 
he  had  elevated  to  the  Cardinalate,  his  nephew,  Paul 
Emile  Sfondrato,  whose  name  is  held  in  veneration 
by  all  who  are  interested  in  the  glory  of  our  illustri- 
ous virgin. 

But  before  relating  the  great  event  which  heaven 
seemed  to  have  held  in  reserve,  only  to  throw  more 
vivid  light  upon  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  to  re- 
animate the  enthusiasm  of  the  faithful  towards  this 
Spouse  of  Christ,  we  will  devote  some  pages  to 
recording  the  homage  paid  her  by  literature  and  the 
arts.  We  have  already  listened  to  the  harmonious 
cadence  of  the  Sacramentaries,  the  musical  hymns 
of  the  Mozarabic  rite  of  Christian  Greece,  the  epi- 
thalamium  of  the  Saxon  Bishop,  the  uncultivated 
verses  of  Flodoard,  the  flowing  sequence  of  the 
twelfth  century ;  all  these  have  formed  a  poetical 
concert  to  Cecilia's  glory.  The  pious  Thomas  A. 
Kempis  now  offers  his  tribute  of  veneration  to  the 
Roman  virgin,  in  a  most  devotional  hymn,  and  a 
charming  acrostic* 

*  En  virginis  Cseciliae  Hinc  amor  et  dcvotio, 

Fulget  vita  clarissima,  Fervebat  cum  eloquio. 

Quam  sponsus  pudicitise  Hinc  diebus  ac  noctibus 

Elegit  ab  infantia.  Sacris  intendit  fructibus. 

Quae  Christi  Evangelium         Nam  duos  fratres  nobiles 
Abscondebat  in  pectoro  ;  Christi  offecit  milites, 

Ut  Jesum  nitons  lilium  Quos  per  ejus  vestigium 

Gasto  servaret  corpora.  Hortatur  ad  Martyr  in  in. 


252  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

He  is  soon  followed  by  the  celebrated  Latin  poet, 
Baptista  Spagnuolo,  called  the  Mantuan,  who  conse- 
crated to  Cecilia  his  seventh  Parthenia,  dedicated  to 
Isabella,  Duchess  of  Mantua.  This  poem  of  nine 
hundred  verses,  filled  with  profane  reminiscences, 
like  all  the  compositions  of  the  Mantuan,  is  written 
in  the  pagan  style  of  the  period  in  which  its  author 
lived;  it  nevertheless  contains  many  graceful  and 
easy  verses. 

We  will  not  extend  this  list  of  the  compositions 
which  form  the  poetical  crown  of  Cecilia,  but  we 
cannot  pass  over  in  silence  the  Epithalamium  of 
Angelo  Sangrini,  Abbot  of  Monte  Casino,  in  which 
the  author  extols  the  holy  martyr,  whom  Italy  par- 
ticularly venerated  in  the  sixteenth  century.  This 
century,  which  gave  to  the  Church  the  Annals  of 
Baronius,  and  the  Controversies  of  Bellarmine,  had 
also  the  glory  of  collecting  the  Acts  of  the  Saints, 
thus  preluding  the  immortal  compilation  of  the 
lesuits  of  Anvers.     The  different  collections  of  this 

Hsec  cernens  tunc  Episcopus  0  Beata  Csecilia, 

Urbanus  vir  Angelicus,  Devota  Christi  famula 

Resolvitur  in  lacrymis  Per  tua  sacra  merita, 

De  fructu  tantee  Virginia  Nos  Deo  reconcilia., 

Domine  Jesu  suscipe  Deo  £atri  sit  gloria, 

De  manibus  Caecilise  Ejusque  soli  Filio, 

Fructus  casti  consilii,  Cum  Spiritu  Paraclito, 

Sicut  odorem  balsami.  Et  nunc,  et  sine  termino.  Amen. 

^  onsolatrix  infirmorura,  compassione. 

tej  lectrix  supernorum,  contemplations 

Q  onfortatrix  Christianorum,  prsedicatione. 

*-*  mitatrix  Beatorum,  sacra  passione. 

t"1  iberatrix  perditorum,  devota  oratione. 

hh  nventrix  liliorum,  casta  conversations 

>  ssociatrix  Angelorum,  ccelesti  revelatione. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  253 

nature,  which  appeared  at  this  epoch,  all  make  honor- 
able mention  of  Cecilia.     From  Bonino  Mombrizzio, 
who  opened  this  new  path  to  sacred  erudition  in  the 
early  part  of  the  fifteenth   century,  by  his  Sanctu- 
avium,    dedicated    to   Simonetta,    secretary  of  the 
Duchess  of  Milan,  down   to   the   Carthusian   friar, 
Lawrence  Surius,  who,  in  1568,  published  his  Original 
Lives  of  the  Saints,  (comprising  in  the  interval,  the 
Agiologium  of  George  Wicklius,  in  1541,  and  the 
collection  of  Louis  Lipoman,  Bishop  of  Verona  and 
Bergama)  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  were  faithfully  re- 
produced.    Surius  was  inclined  to  follow  Metaphras- 
tes,  who,  as  we  have  said,  borrowed  them  from  the 
Latin ;  and  the  translation  from  the  Greek,  compared 
with  the  Roman  manuscript,  shows  the  great  respect 
with  which  the  religious  writer  of  Constantinople 
treated  the  touching  relation  of  Cecilia's  virtues  and 
martyrdom.     The   arts   were   even   more   eager  to 
glorify  the   daughter  of  the  Cecilii.     Architecture 
paid  its  tribute  in  an  elegant  Roman  Basilica,  with 
its   marbles,    mosaics,   and   sumptuous   decorations, 
and  in  the  magnificent  Cathedral  of  Alby,  with  the 
majesty,  grace,  and  boldness  of  its  proportions.    The 
statuary  of  the  Middle  Age  paid   its   homage   by 
placing  the  noble  and  placid  image  of  St.  Cecilia, 
under  the  porticoes  of  our  Cathedrals,  where  she  stands 
like  a  queen  among  the  Spouses  of  Christ.     We  shall 
hereafter  speak  of  the  masterpiece  with  which  Ste- 
phen Maderno  enriched   the  Roman   Basilica.      It 
represents   the    virgin  sleeping  in   her    mysterious 
tomb.* 

*  We  cannot  mention  here  as  a  Catholic   statue,  the  Muse 

22 


254  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

But  Catholic  painters,  have,  as  it  were,  surpassed 
themselves,  in  endeavoring  to  express  the  charm  and 
grandeur  recalled  by  Cecilia's  name.  We  will  not 
undertake  here  an  enumeration  which  would  far 
exceed  the  limits  of  this  monograph.  We  leave  to 
others,  the  pleasure  of  describing  the  large  stained 
windows  on  which  is  traced  the  history  of  our  martyr, 
the  graceful  illustrations  of  liturgical  manuscripts, 
the  inspired  works  of  the  mystical  school  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  all  the  marvellous  testimonies 
of  love  given  her  by  so  many  artists.  We  shall 
content  ourselves  with  mentioning  the  mosaic  of 
Eavenna  in  the  sixth  century,  already  described,  as 
well  as  that  which  St.  Paschal  caused  to  be  executed 
in  the  apsis  of  the  Basilica  when  the  Virgin's  body 
was  translated  thither  ;  these  two  mosaics  seem  to  be 
the  most  ancient  representations  of  St.  Cecilia  which 
have  reached  us.  The  ninth  century  offers  us  a  minia- 
ture, in  the  Menology  of  the  Emperor  Basil,  represen- 
ting the  martyrdom  of  the  Saint.  We  next  mention  a 
fresco  of  the  twelfth  century,  painted  in  a  crypt  of  the 
Basilica  of  St.  Lawrence  outside  the  walls.  The  painting 
is  copied  with  great  care  in  the  magnificent  collec- 
tion of  the  frescos  of  the  Catacombs,  executed  by 
M.  Perret,  and  published  by  the  French  Government. 
There  are  many  other  interesting  paintings,  relating 
to  the  illustrious  Virgin,  in  the  ancient  pagan  temple 
near  which  St.  Urban  lived,  and  which  has  been 
converted  into  a  Church.     These  paintings  have  been 

which.  David  sculptured  under  the  name  of  St.  Cecilia,  and 
which  may  be  seen  in  the  choir  of  the  Cathedral  of  Angers. 
The  statue  is  graceful,  but  cannot  be  classed  among  the  works 
inspired  by  Christian  faith  in  honor  of  Cecilia. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  255 

reproduced  by  Agin  court  in  his  Histoire  de  V  Art  par 
les  monuments,  and  are   referred  to  the   thirteenth 
century;  they  represent  several  incidents  from  the 
Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.     We  trust  that  at  some  future 
day  these  frescoes  will  be  published  in  a  more  suitable 
manner,  as  they  are  doubly  interesting,  both  on  ac- 
count of  their  tasteful  execution  and  of  the  Church 
which  they  ornament.     At  this  same  epoch,  Cimabue 
painted  a  portrait  of  Cecilia.    She  is  represented  seated, 
veiled,  and  wrapt  in  a  deep  blue  mantle,  holding  in 
one  hand  a  palm  branch,  whilst  the  other  rests  upon 
a  book  of  the  Gospels.     Eight  small  pictures  of  inci- 
dents taken  from  the  Acts,  surround  the  main  figure, 
forming  as  it  were  a  frame.     By  this  representation, 
we  see  that  in  the   thirteenth  century,   no  special 
attribute   was  assigned  to  Cecilia.     This   painting, 
now  in  the  gallery  at  Florence,  was  designed  for  a 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  formerly  stood  in  that 
city,  but  which  has  been  destroyed.     We  refer  to  the 
thirteenth,  and  not  to  the  ninth  century,  the  graceful 
paintings  in  compartments  which  formerly  adorned 
St.  Cecilia's  Church,  only  one  of  which  has  been 
saved.     The   others  are  only  known  by  the  copies 
which  were  taken  before  they  had  totally  perished, 
and  which  are  preserved  in  the  Barberini  Library, 
and  also  by  the  very  imperfect  engraving  published 
by  Bosio*  in  his  edition  of  the  Acts  of  Saint  Cecilia. 
The  fresco  which  remains,  represents  the  burial  of 
the  Virgin  by  St.  Urban,  and  her  apparition  to  Pas- 
chal ;  this  latter  scene  is  admirably  executed.     The 

*  D'Agincourt  gives  the  designs  of  these  pictures,  hut  in  such 
a  miniature  form,  that  it  is  impossible  to  form  a  correct  judgment 
of  them. 


256  LIFE    OF    SAINT    CECILIA. 

nitre  and  pluviale*  of  the  Pontiff  do  not  permit  us  to 
date  this  picture  before  the  thirteenth  century  ;  it  may 
even  be  placed  in  the  fourteenth.  In  the  fifteenth 
century,  we  cannot  omit  Pinturieehio.  who  painted 
five  subjects  taken  from  the  life  of  our  illustrious 
Virgin,  with  that  indefinable  charm  which  character- 
izes all  his  productions.  They  may  be  seen  at  the 
gallery  of  Berlin.  We  must  also  speak  of  a  charm- 
ing fresco  of  the  same  century,  now  placed  in  the 
sacristy  of  the  little  Church,  which,  according  to  its 
ancient  title,  we  have  called  St.  Cecilia  de  i       . 

It  represents  the  Angel  crowning  Cecilia  and  Val  :-r- 
ian;  Tiburtius  and  Urban  are  also  introduced.  Al- 
though considerably  defaced,  the  picture  breathes  an 
air  of  piety  and  recollection,  and  recalls  the  calm 
repose  which  is  the  charm  of  Angelico  da  Fiesole's 
productions.  TTe  do  not  intend  to  enumerate  all  the 
monuments  of  St.  Cecilia,  but  we  consider  it  a  duty 
net  to  omit  mentioning  the  admirable  frescoes  pain 
by  Francisco  Francia  and  his  pupils,  in  a  chapel  of 
St  James'  Church,  at  Bologna.  These  pictures  are 
composed  often  compartments:  the  subjects  are  bor- 
rowed from  the  Acts  of  the  Saint,  and  are  deservedly 
ranked  among  the  noblest  works  of  Catholic  art.  in 
its  most  brilliant  period. 

Thev  have  been  inexcusably  neglected  and  allowed 
to  deteriorate,  yet  they  still  preserve  much  of  their 
original  beauty.    The  fresco  which  represents  C 
martyrdom,  f  is  the  only  one  which  can  be  positively 

*Cope. 

t  Rio  De  1' Art  Chretien,  page  250.     Montalembert.     Du  Van- 
dal:sme  et  du  Catholicisme  dans  Tart,  p.  147. 
Rio.  Ibid,  page  172. 
In  the  Memoirs  of  the  Academic  Society  of  the  /Lube. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  257 

attributed  to  Francia ;  it  is  far  superior  to  the  others. 
These  ten  frescoes  were  engraven  and  published  in 
1825 ;  but  the  engravings  are  so  very  imperfect,  that 
it  is  to  be  hoped  others  will  be  made.  Unfortunately, 
the  entire  series  of  paintings  upon  the  Life  of  Saint 
Cecilia,  executed  by  Taddeo  Bartolo,  in  St.  Dominic's 
Church  at  Perugia,  has  entirely  perished.  These 
different  compositions  show  how  highly  the  artists  of 
this  period  appreciated  our  Acts.  A  precious  docu- 
ment of  the  fifteenth  century,  recently  published  by 
M.  Guignard,  bookseller  of  Dijon,  reveals  to  us  that 
profound  study,  which  enabled  these  artists  to  de- 
lineate with  so  much  soul  and  truth,  all  the  most 
delicate  and  dramatic  incidents  in  the  lives  of  the 
Saints. 

This  document  contains  the  notes  given  to  the 
artists  who  were  charged  with  executing  the  cartoons 
of  a  tapestry  destined  for  the  collegiate  Church  of  St. 
Urban  de  Troyes.  The  plan  comprised  six  large 
pieces  of  tapestry,  divided  into  twenty  two  subjects, 
ten  of  which  were  to  represent  events  taken  from  the 
Acts  of  Saint  Cecilia.  The  exactitude  and  attention 
with  which  the  scenes  chosen  were  first  analyzed,  and 
afterwards  arranged  in  accordance  with  the  simplicity 
of  the  times :  the  sentiment  to  be  expressed,  the  atti- 
tudes of  the  figures  introduced,  the  costumes ;  the 
details  of  surroundings  ;  all  prove  a  careful  study  of 
the  Acts,  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  thia 
beautiful  composition  has  perished,  or,  as  Mr.  Guig- 
nard is  inclined  to  think,  was  never  executed.  Wo 
mention  it,  however,  as  one  of  the  most  touching 

22* 


258  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

homages    offered    by    art    to    the    memory    of    St. 
Cecilia.* 

The  great  artists  of  the  sixteenth  century,  did  not 
forget  Saint  Cecilia.  Their  style  was  indeed  little 
suited  to  the  supernatural,  yet  we  find  that  many 
among  them  delighted  in  painting  Saint  Cecilia. 
We  might  cite  Garofalo,  Procaccini,  Paul  Veronese, 
Salimbeni,  Tempesta,  Guido  Eeni,  Carlo  Dolci,  etc. ; 
but  these  painters  sink  into  the  shade  by  the  side  of 
the  immortal  Eaphael.  Who  does  not  know  that  the 
Saint  Cecilia  of  the  Museum  of  Bologna,  is  classed 
among  the  great  works  of  this  prince  of  modern 
artists.  Still  we  must  acknowledge  that  many  of  the 
figures   are   wanting   in   that   heavenly   expression 

*  We  will  refer  here  to  a  peculiarity  of  the  fourth  piece  of 
tapestry,  which  needs  to  be  explained,  as  it  is  found  in  the  most 
beautiful  frescoes  of  Francia,  at  Bologna.  The  artists  of  the 
Middle  Age,  not  understanding  the  vapor  baths  which  were  taken 
by  the  ancients  in  the  caldarium,  were  unable  to  comprehend  the 
torment  to  which  Almachius  condemned  Cecilia,  otherwise  than 
by  supposing  that  she  was  placed  in  a  caldron  of  boiling  water. 
They  were  somewhat  embarrassed  in  their  efforts  to  explain  the 
passage  of  the  Acts  which  refers  to  the  prodigy  by  which  Cecilia's 
body  was  preserved  from  moisture  If  she  had  been  immersed 
in  boiling  water,  this  passage  would  have  been,  to  say  the  least, 
very  singular.  In  the  fifteenth  century,  the  archaeologists  were 
unable  to  explain  to  the  artists  a  style  of  baths  which  were  not 
then  used.  Moreover,  the  latter  would  have  found  great  diffi- 
culty in  representing  in  a  painting  the  saint  praying  in  the 
caldarium,  whilst  by  representing  her  half  plunged  in  a  caldron, 
or,  as  Francia  does,  in  a  bath,  with  a  lictor  brandishing  his  sword 
above  her  head,  they  were  able  to  describe  both  kinds  of  martyr- 
dom, as  they  understood  them.  A  little  later,  Julius  Romanus 
and  Guido  understood  the  ancient  customs,  and  represented 
Cecilia  kneeling  in  her  caldarium,  and  extending  her  neck  to 
the  executioner. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  259 

which  characterizes  all  his  early  paintings.     For  the  ' 
honor  of  Cecilia,  we  prefer  therefore,  mentioning  first,  ' 
the  beautiful  picture  in  the  royal  gallery  at  Naples, 
although   she  only  figures   in    it    as  an    accessory. 
Eaphael  painted  it  in  1505,  for  the  religious  of  Saint 
Anthony  of  Perugia,  The  principal  subject  represents 
our  Saviour  taken  down  from  the  Cross  and  placed 
on  his  mother's  knees,  Saints  Peter  and  Paul  stand 
on  one  side,   Saints  Cecilia   and  Catherine   on   the 
other.     The  wonderful  talent  of  the  artist  is  very 
evident  in  these  four  figures,  and  thus  we  have  a 
Cecilia  truly  worthy  of  the  divine  Eaphael."36,     The 
painting  at  Bologna  is  chiefly  valuable  as  a  work  of 
art:  St.  John  the  Evangelist  and  Saint  Paul  stand 
on  the  right  of  the  martyr,  St.  Augustin  and  St. 
Mary  Magdalen  on  her  left.     All  these  figures  are 
incontestably  beautiful,  but  there  is  no  mystical  ex- 
pression about  them.     Magdalen  in  particular  does 
not  at  all  correspond  with  our  idea  of  a  holy  penitent. 
There  is  a  heavenly  expression  about  Cecilia,  but  her 
embonpoint  badly  accords  with    our   notions   of  a 
saint.     Emblems  of  profane  music  are  scattered  at 
her  feet ;  her  lyre  rests  upon  her  knees ;  her   eyes 
are   raised   to   heaven  and   she   seems   listening   to 
angelic  concerts.     This  much  admired  painting  was 
destined  for  the  chapel  of  St.  John  in  Monte ,  at  Bo- 
logna.    Vasari  has  asserted  that  Francesco  Francia, 
after  looking  at  it,  died  of  jealousy.    Happily  for  the 
honor  of  Catholic  art,  this  is  a  mere  fable.     Eaphael 
commenced  his  picture  of  St.  Cecilia  towards  the 
end  of  the  year  1513,  and  finished  it  in  1514,  and 

*  Vasari.  Tonic  iii.  p.  1(J6. 


260  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Francesco  Francia  did  not  die  until  1533.  Finally, 
that  we  may  omit  nothing  relating  to  the  famous  St. 
Cecilia  of  Bologna,  we  will  remind  our  readers  that 
it  was  this  painting  which  awakened  in  Corregio  the 
consciousness  of  his  own  talent,  and  made  him  ex- 
claim, "  And  I  too  am  a  painter." 

Among  the  noble  works  of  Domenichino,  we  find 
no  less  than  six  pictures,  wherein  Cecilia  occupies  the 
principal  place.  Besides  these,  we  must  also  mention 
the  frescoes  he  painted  at  Rome  in  St.  Cecilia's  chapel 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Louis  des  Franeais.  They  em- 
brace the  entire  life  of  the  saint.  The  angel  con- 
versing with  Valerian  and  Cecilia ;  the  Virgin  dis- 
tributing her  fortune  to  the  poor  after  Valerian's 
martyrdom ;  Almachius  seated  on  his  tribunal,  and 
the  calm  and  imposing  attitude  of  Cecilia,  refusing  to 
offer  incense  to  the  idols  ;  finally  and  pre-eminently, 
the  immortal  scene  of  Urban's  interview  with  the 
expiring  virgin  ;  the  bathroom  inundated  with  gene- 
rous blood  which  the  faithful  eagerly  collect,  the 
poor  assisting  at  the  last  moments  of  their  faithful 
benefactress,  the  Pontiff's  ineffable  emotion  at  the 
sight  of  so  sublime  a  sacrifice ;  the  martyr's  legacy 
to  the  Father  of  the  faithful.  The  blending  of  all 
these  incidents  portrays  the  Acts  of  Saint  Cecilia  far 
more  vividly  than  the  most  eloquent  words  could  do. 
We  will  conclude  with  a  mention  of  Lionello  Spada, 
who  died  in  the  seventeenth  century,  twenty  years 
before  Domenichino.  In  his  admirable  painting, 
preserved  .at  St.  Michael  del  Bosco,  at  Bologna,  he 
has  represented  Saint  Cecilia  in  the  midst  of  the 
heated  vapor  of  her  caldarium.     He  is,  we  believe, 


LIFE'  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  261 

the  first  artist  who  ever  attempted  this  subject,  and 
it  must  be  confessed  that  he  has  both  conceived  and 
executed  it  in  an  admirable  mariner.  Artists  of  the 
French  school  have,  in  these  latter  days,  represented 
our  Saint  in  a  manner  unworthy  her  dignity. 

Every  one  is  well  acquainted  with  the  picture 
painted  by  Mignard,  for  Louis  XIV.,  in  which  he 
represented  the  virgin  appareled  like  a  coquette. 
A  renowned  artist  of  our  own  day,  has  degraded 
Saint  Cecilia  to  the  level  of  a  lady  in  her  boudoir. 
May  Catholic  art  soon  resume  her  empire  in  our  dear 
France,  and  may  her  artists  ere  long  present  us  with 
a  Cecilia  worthy  of  the  name !  Music  claims  the 
Eoman  Virgin  as  its  special  patroness ;  she  is  the 
Queen  of  Christian  Harmony.  Her  name  is  blended 
with  all  the  triumphs  of  music  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Musical  Societies  were  placed  under  her 
protection,  and  her  Festival  was  celebrated  by  melo- 
dies composed  in  her  honor.  How  often  has  a  mass 
in  honor  of  St.  Cecilia,  or  a  hymn  in  her  praise,  been 
the  first  composition  of  some  talented  musician !  How 
many  artists  of  superior  or  secondary  merit,  have 
considered  their  compositions  worthless  until  they 
had  dedicated  a  hymn  to  the  Virgin  whose  protec- 
tion they  craved !  Even  at  the  present  day,  the  feast 
of  St.  Cecilia  is  celebrated  wherever  music  creates 
the  slightest  interest. 

In  the  annual  concerts,  which  bring  to  the  foot  of 
the  altar  so  many  men,  who,  during  the  rest  of  the 
year,  are  wholly  absorbed  in  worldly  occupations, 
masterpieces  may  be  rare,  the  execution  defective, 
the  motives  for  the  assembly  indifferent,  if  not  worse ; 


262  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

but  it  is  delightful  to  find  the  most  seductive  of  arts 
acknowledging  each  year  that  the  superior  sentiment 
of  harmony  emanates  from  purity  of  mind  and 
heart,  personified  in  Cecilia.  It  is  then  that  more 
than  one  soul,  animated  with  heavenly  thoughts, 
aspires  after  more  harmonious  and  durable  concerts 
than  those  of  this  world  of  sorrows,  where  the  chords 
of  the  lyre,  having  been  broken  by  sin,  can  only 
be  joined  for  a  moment ;  and  can  never  resound  with 
a  full  and  perfect  accord,  except  when  employed  to 
honor  God,  in  concert  with  the  angels.  An  English 
poet  has  most  happily  expressed  this  thought  in  a 
canticle  which  he  composed  for  the  Feast  of  St.  Cecilia. 

Our  joys  below  it  can  improve, 

And  antedate  the  bliss  above. 

This  the  divine  Cecilia  found, 

And  to  her  Maker's  praise  confin'd  the  souud. 

When  the  full  organ  joins  the  tuneful  choir, 

Th'  immortal  pow'rs  incline  their  ear  ; 
Borne  on  the  swelling  notes  our  souls  aspire, 
While  solemn  airs  improve  the  sacred  fire  : 

And  Angels  lean  from  heav'n  to  hear. 
Of  Orpheus  now  no  more  let  poets  tell, 

To  bright  Cecilia  greater  pow'r  is  giv'n  ; 
His  numbers  rais'd  a  shade  from  hell, 

Her's  lift  the  soul  to  heav'n. 

Pope  :  Ode  for  music,  on  S.  Cecilia's  day. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CARDINAL    PAUL    EMILIUS  SFOXDRATO.   HIS  DEVOTION  TO    ST.   CECILIA. 
HIS  DISCOVERY  OF  HER  BODY. 

Paul  Emilius  was  born  at  Milan,  1561.  His  father, 
Paul  SfondratOj  was  a  brother  of  Gregory  XIV ;  his 


LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  263 

mother,  whose  name  was  Sigismund,  "belonged  to  the 
family  of  Este.  In  his  youth,  Paul  showed  the  hap- 
piest dispositions,  and  when  old  enough  to  choose  a 
state  of  life,  at  once  gave  preference  to  the  Church. 
He  came  to  Eome  at  an  early  age,  and  spent  some  time 
in  the  house  of  the  Oratorian  Fathers,  at  St.  Maria,  in 
Yallicella,  where  he  had  the  happiness  of  becoming 
acquainted  with  St.  Philip  Neri.  The  ardent  piety 
of  young  Sfondrato  was  stimulated  by  the  society  of 
this  illustrious  servant  of  God,  and  in  his  interviews 
with  the  holy  old  man,  he  imbibed  that  charity  to- 
wards the  poor,  that  zeal  for  the  adornment  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  that  fervent  devotion  towards  the 
martyrs,  which  were  his  principal  characteristics 
throughout  life.  Gregory  XIV.,  who  was  made  Pope 
on  the  5th  of  December,  1590,  created  his  nephew, 
Paul  Emilius,  Cardinal,  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month, 
a  promotion  which  was  universally  applauded.  The 
young  Prelate,  then  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  was 
absent  from  Eome  when  he  received  the  news  of  his 
elevation.  He  hastened  to  his  uncle,  who  had  always 
appreciated  his  virtue,  and  who  now  admitted  him  at 
once  into  his  councils.  Eome  was  at  this  time  in- 
tensely interested  in  the  affairs  of  France.  A  Cal- 
vinist  prince  had  claimed  the  crown ;  he  had  been 
vigorously  opposed  by  the  League,  but  the  decisive 
battle  of  Ivry  which  had  taken  place  immediately 
after  the  death  of  Sixtus  V.,  had  rendered  further 
resistance  vain.  Urban  VII.,  had  reigned  but  thir- 
teen days.  Gregory  XIV.,  supported  by  his  nephew, 
Paul  Emilius,  responded  to  the  cannons  of  the  vic- 
torious Henry  by  fresh  anathemas.     But  after  a  short 


264  LIFE   OF  SAINT    CECILIA. 

Pontificate,  he  was  called  to  his  reward.  He  wag 
succeeded  by  Innocent  IX.,  who  reigned  but  two 
months.  The  cause  then  passed  into  the  vigorous 
hands  of  Clement  VIII. 

The  death  of  Gregory  XIV.  restored  to  his  nephew 
the  leisure  he  so  much  coveted,  and  with  increasing 
ardor,  he  devoted  himself  to  works  of  piety  and 
mercy.  His  uncle  had  magnificently  provided  him 
with  rich  benefices,  but  he  did  not  make  use  of  them 
to  surround  himself  with  the  luxuries  which  his  ele- 
vated position  rendered  perfectly  justifiable.  His 
palace,  void  of  hangings  or  tapestry,  proved  that  he 
preferred  to  clothe  the  poor  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
Pontifical  Court  admired  this  prince  of  the  Church, 
who  never  suffered  any  but  earthen  vessels  to  be 
placed  on  his  table,  that  he  might  be  enabled  to  feed 
a  greater  number  of  poor.  Such  was  Sfondrato,  when 
at  the  very  pinnacle  of  honor;  such  he  remained 
during  his  whole  life.*     Two  objects  engrossed  his 

*  Amelot  de  la  Houssaye,  editor  of  the  letters  of  Cardinal 
d'Ossat,  ambassador  from  Henry  IV.  to  Clement  VIII.,  mentions 
in  the  notes  of  this  book,  different  testimonies  of  the  profound 
esteem  in  which  Sfondrato  was  held  at  the  Roman  court.  Ac- 
cording to  the  expression  of  Delfini,  the  ambassador  from  Venice 
to  the  Holy  See,  this  cardinal  walked  in  the  footsteps  of  Car- 
dinal Borromeo.  (Lettres  de  d'Ossat,  tome  v.,  p.  304).  Cardinal 
Bentivoglio,  in  his  memoirs,  gives  a  still  more  precious  and  de- 
tailed account  of  the  virtues  of  Sfondrato  in  his  private  life,  and 
also  attests  the  great  veneration  he  enjoyed.  (Ibid.,  tome  i., 
page  89).  D'Ossat,  who  well  understood  human  nature,  speaks 
with  admiration  in  his  correspondence  of  the  firmness  of  Sfon- 
drato when,  in  an  assembly  of  cardinals,  he  alone,  of  all  the 
Sacred  College,  refused  to  give  his  vote  for  the  prcmiotion  of 
Sylvester  Aldobrandini  to  the  cardinalate.  This  nephew  of 
Clement  VIII.  was  but  fourteen  years   of  age,   and  Sfondrato 


LIFE  OF 'SAINT   CECILIA.  265 

generous  soul:  1st.  To  glorify  Christ  in  His  tri- 
umphant members.  2d.  To  soothe  Christ  in  Ilia 
suffering  members.  Sfondrato  studied  this  lesson  fti 
the  school  of  St.  Cecilia.  Gregory  XIV.,  in  elevating 
him  to  the  purple,  placed  in  his  hand  as  a  pious  in- 
heritance the  Church  he  had  himself  held,  that  of  our 
illustrious  martyr,  who,  during  her  life  had  been 
so  full  of  compassion  for  the  poor ;  so  zealous  in 
burying  the  champions  of  the  faith.  It  was  reserved 
for  Sfondrato  to  walk  in  Paschal's  footsteps;  Christ 
destined  him  to  place  a  much  more  brilliant  crown 
upon  the  brow  of  his  Spouse  than  she  had  received 
in  the  ninth  century  from  the  hands  of  a  Pontiff. 
Sfondrato  took  possession  of  the  title  of  St.  Cecilia  on 
the  25th  of  January,  1591.  The  ceremony,  was  pom- 
pous and  solemn,  notwithstanding  the  raging  of  a 
violent  storm,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  torrents 
of  rain,  which  being  unusual  at  that  season,  might 
well  have  thrown  a  gloom  over  the  brilliancy  of  the 
festival.  The  new  cardinal  paid  his  respects  to  the 
abbess  and  her  community  in  the  parlor ;  he  spoke 
of  his  veneration  for  their  Church,  and  added,  with 
charming  simplicity,  that  if  he  had  felt  any  desire 
for  the  purple,  it  was  only  that  he  might  become 
titulary  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  result  will  prove  the 
cardinal's  sincerity.*  About  this  time  Sigismondo 
d'Este,  mother  of  Paul  Emilius,  came  to  visit  Borne, 

fearlessly  quoted  to  the  Pontiff  that  canon  of  the  Council  of 
Trent,  (Sess.  xxiv.)  which  requires  the  same  age,  learning,  and 
qualities  for  cardinals  as  for  bishops.  (Lettres  de  d'Ossat, 
tome  v.,  page  317). 

*  Archives  of  St.  Cecilia.    Croniche  del  venerabile  monastero 
di  S.  Cecilia. 

23 


266  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

accompanied  by  the  cardinal's  sister  and  sister-in-law, 
and  several  ladies  of  the  family.     They  visited  the 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  treated  the  religions  with 
the  greatest  affability.     Not  satisfied  with  conversing 
with  the  abbess  and  sisters  in  the  parlor,  they  begged 
to  kiss  their  hands.     It  was  therefore  necessary  to 
admit  them  into  the  interior  of  the  monastery,  which 
was  immediately  done.     During  this  interchange  of 
mutual  charity,  Sfondrato's  mother  remained  upon 
her  knees,  through  respect  for  the  Spouses  of  Christ. 
Thus  did  all  this  family  testify  their  affection  for  our 
illustrious  Saint,  by  the  respect  which  they  showed 
to  the  consecrated  virgins  who  guarded  her  sanctuary. 
Sfondrato  felt  that  the  Basilica  which  had  been  re- 
stored to  the  abbess  by  Maura  Magalotta,  sixty  years 
previous^,  required  some  repairs ;   and,  moreover, 
he  did  not  consider  it  sufficiently  handsome.     He 
undertook  a  general  restoration,  and  without  destroy- 
ing the  antique  and  venerable  character  of  the  edi- 
fice, he  threw  over  it  that  air  of  splendor  so  well 
suited  to  the  Churches  of  Eome.     Sfondrato's  first 
thought  was  to  enrich  the  Basilica  with  the  numer- 
ous and  important   relics  which  he  had  collected, 
frequently  through  the  mediation  of  his  uncle.    They 
were  contained  in  a  number  of  silver  and  silver  gilt 
caskets;    and    that   he  might   preserve   them  more 
worthily,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  placing  them  under 
the  altar  of  the  Confession.     But  the  accessible  space 
between  the  altar  and  the  mysterious  region  of  the 
tombs,  was  not  sufficiently  large  to  contain  this  pre- 
cious deposit.     The  cardinal  decided  to  enlarge  the 
place,  and,  eagerly  desiring  to   find  Cecilia's  body, 


LIFE    OF    SAINT   CECILIA.  267 

he  resolved  to  pierce  through  the  thick  stone  wall 
upon  which  the  altar  rested.  He  th ought  with  reason 
that  the  tomb  could  not  be  far  from  the  entrance; 
and,  moreover,  he  knew  that  the  opening  in  front  of  the 
altar  must  correspond  with  Cecilia's  sepulchre,  since 
formerly  the  faithful  by  means  of  this  opening  lowered 
pieces  of  linen  to  touch  the  tomb.  In  the  expectation 
of  a  discovery  which  was  to  prove  the  consolation 
and  glory  of  his  life,  Sfondrato  ordered  the  workmen 
to  labor  only  in  his  presence,  commanding  them  to 
suspend  their  operations  when  he  was  forced  to  leave 
the  Basilica.* 

Finally  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  of  October,  1599, 
the  Cardinal  commanded  that  the  pavement  should 
be  taken  away  from  before  the  altar.  They  then 
cleared  away  the  ground  from  around  the  stones,  and 
loosened  the  foundations  of  the  wall  which  covered 
the  subterranean  enclosure.  After  making  with 
much  effort  an  opening  in  the  thick  wall,  the  space 
under  the  altar  was  clearly  seen.  Two  sarcophagi 
of  white  marble,  placed  side  by  side,  three  feet  below 
the  ground,  at  once  struck  Sfondrato's  eye.  These, 
two  tombs  were  directly  under  the  altar.  Transported 
with  holy  joy,  tlie  Cardinal  determined,  before  open- 
ing the  tomb,  to  send  for  some  reliable  witnesses. 
He  immediately  despatched  messengers  for  the  Bishop 
of  Isernia,  Vicegerent  of  the  Cardinal  Vicar,  James 
Buzzi,  Canon  of  the  congregation  of  Lateran,  and 
Fathers  Peter  Alagona  and  Peter  Morra,  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus.     They  soon  arrived,  accompanied 

*  All  these  details,  and  those  which  follow,  may  be  found  in 
Bosio's  interesting;  relation  of  the  finding  of  Cecilia's  body  and 
those  of  her  companions. 


268  LIFE    OF    SAINT    CECILIA. 

by  several  members  of  the  Cardinal's  household. 
After  again  examining  the  place,  they  hastened  to 
open  the  first  tomb,  that  which  was  nearest  the  sub- 
terranean entrance.  The  workmen  having  removed 
the  marble  slab  which  covered  it,  a  cypress  coffin 
was  seen  inside,  four  feet,  three  inches  in  length, 
thirteen  inches  in  width,  and  seventeen  high.  There 
was  no  appearance  of  a  lock,  and  the  upper  lid  was 
not  even  fastened  with  nails.  It  was  very  thin,  and 
opened  and  closed  by  means  of  a  groove.  For  some 
time,  Sfondrato  and  his  assistants  wrere  uncertain  how 
to  open  this  sacred  coffin,  which  they  were  sure  con- 
tained the  body  of  St.  Cecilia.  Finally,  the  Cardinal 
himself  discovered  the  proper  means,  and,  with 
trembling  hands,  respectfully  removed  the  frail  obsta- 
cle which  concealed  the  virgin's  body  from  his  eyes. 

It  was  a  solemn  moment.  After  eight  centuries 
of  obscurity  and  silence,  Cecilia  appeared  once  more 
to  the  faithful  of  Christ,  in  the  ineffable  majesty  of 
her  martyrdom.  The  interior  of  the  coffin  was 
covered  with  the  same  damask,  although  somewhat 
faded,  writh  which  Paschal  had  lined  it.*  Time  had 
respected  the  thin  veil  wThich  the  Pontiff'  bad  thrown 
over  her  bod)r,  and  through  this  tr»sparent  texture, 
the  gold  with  which  her  dress  was  embroidered, 
sparkled  with  brilliancy. f 

*  Aperta  capsa  circumornata  undique  apparuit  intus  textili 
quodam  sericae  quam  vulgo  appellant  saiae  similitudinem  refer- 
ente,  coloris  ex  viridi  et  rufo  permixti,  cujus  tamen  nitorem 
temporis  longiuquitate  obiuscatum  agnosceres.  Hoc  illud  est 
textile,  de  quo  sic  Bibliothecarius  in  Paschali,  dum  dona  quae 
is  Pontifex  huic  Eccleske  contulit,  recenset :  Fecit  in  arcella, 
ad  corpus  jam  dictce  Virginis  vest  em  de  quadrupulo  cum  periclisin. 
Bosio.  Relatio  inventionis  et  repositionis  S.  Caiciiice  et  Sociorum. 

f  Intra  banc   capsam  beatae   Caeciliae  Virginis  corpus  extabat 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  269 

Who  can  describe  the  joy  of  these  Catholic  hearts 
to  whom  heaven  had  granted  the  favor  of  being  the 
first  to  salute  upon  her  triumphal  couch,  the  martyr 
of  the  third  century,  who,  in  these  tempestuous  days, 
was  revealed  to  the  Eoman  Church,  as  if  to  encour- 
age her  in  her  conflict  with  error,  and  to  give  to 
her  children,  a  sure  pledge  of  the  reward  that  awaited 
those  who  should  fight  courageously  until  the  end. 
Those  heroes  of  Catholicity,  who  had  so  lately  shed 
their  blood  in  England,*  in  Holland,  f  and  even  on 
the  seas,  J  were  also  sleeping  in  the  tomb,  and  Cecilia, 
rising  from  the  grave,  not  only  wished  them  peace, 
but  proclaimed  by  her  example,  the  truth  of  that 
oracle  of  the  Psalmist :  "  The  Lord  keepeth  the  bones 
of  His  servants,  not  one  of  them  shall  be  lost.r§ 

All  were  eager  to  gaze  nearer  on  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  the  Spouse  of  Christ.  Sfondrato,  with  pro- 
found veneration,  raised  the  veil,  and  exposed  to 
view,  the  treasure  confided  to  the  tomb  by  Urban 
and  Paschal.  The  martyr  was  clothed  in  her  antique 
robe,  embroidered  with  gold,  upon  which  the  glori- 
ous marks  of  her  virginal  blood  were  still  apparent;! 
at  her  feet  was  the  linen  stained  with  the  purple  of 
her  martyrdom.^"     She  was  lying  upon  her  right  side, 

serico,  atque  fusco  coopertum  velo,  subterque  velum  vestes 
aurese  virginei  sanguinis  notas  respersse,  fugaci  tenuique  fulgore 
translucebant.  Bosio.  Relatio  invent  to  nis  et  repositionis  S.  Ccs- 
citiaz  et  Sociorum. 

*  Under  Henry  VIII.   and  Elizabeth. 

f  The  martyrs  of  Grorcum. 

t  F.  Ignatius  Azvedo  and  bis  thirty-nine  companions. 

§  Psalm  xxxiii.,  21. 

||  Vestes  aurese  virginei  sanguinis  notis  reapers*,  Relatio 
Relatio,   find. 

H   Insuper  ad  pedes  sacrati  corporis  linteamiiiuui  glomttfl  jaoo- 


270  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

and  seemed  to  be  in  a  profound  sleep.*  The  neck 
still  bore  the  marks  of  the  wounds  made  by  the  lie- 
tor's  sword ;  f  the  head,  by  a  mysterious  and  touch- 
ing curvature,  was  turned  towards  the  bottom  of  the 
coffin.^: 

The  body  was  found  perfectly  entire,  whilst  the 
graceful  and  modest  figure  of  the  saint,  preserved  so 
miraculously  after  so  many  centuries,  vividly  re- 
called the  martyr  breathing  her  last  sigh  upon  the 
pavement  of  her  Caldarmm.  The  spectators  were 
transported  in  spirit  to  the  day  when  Urban  had  re- 
closed  the  coffin,  without  disturbing  the  attitude 
which  the  virgin  had  chosen  to  yield  up  her  soul  to 
her  immortal  Spouse.§  They  also  admired  Paschal's 
prudence  in  leaving  the  body  just  as  he  had  dis- 
covered it,  and  thus  preserving  so  grand  a  spectacle 
for  posterity.]! 

bat  convolutorum,  ilia  nimirum  quae  ipse  Paschalis  in  litieris 
Inventionis  suae  commemorat.  Bosio.  Relatio  etc. 

*  Jacebat  id  corpus  in  dexterum  incumbens  latus,  paululum 
contractis  cruribus,  brachiisque  ante  projectis.   Bosio,  Ibid. 

|  Corpus  S.  Csecilise  adliuc  intactum,  serica  viste  auro  texta, 
vulnerum  cicatricibus  apparentibus,  Clemens  Papa  VIII.,  in  ar- 
gentea  urna  sub  ara  maxima  collocari  curavit.  Fonseca  De  Basi- 
lica S.  Laurentii  in  Damaso,  page  285. 

J  Cervice  autem  valde  reliexa,  facieque  ad  humum  proctrm- 
bente,  dormientis  instar.  Bosio.  Ibid. 

§  Earn  ut  crcdi  potest  formam  retinens,  in  qua  post  trinam 
percussionem,  cui  triduum  supervixit,  animam  Deo  reddens 
conciderat,  fueratque  pariter  in  Ccemeterio  ab  Urbano  Pontifice 
collocatum.  Bosio.  Ibid. 

||  The  cypress  coffin  must  have  been  the  identical  one  in 
which  St.  Urban  buried  Cecilia.  It  is  very  certain  that  it  would 
have  been  impossible,  in  the  ninth  century,  to  transfer  the  mar- 
tyr's body  to  so  narrow  a  coffin,  without  disturbing  her  attitude 
or  even.disjoini/ig  her  limbs.  Anastasius,  in  relating  the  marks 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  271 

They  next  proceeded  to  open  the  second  sarcoph- 
agus ;  it  was  contiguous  to  that  of  Cecilia,  but  buried 
deeper  under  the  altar,  towards  the  apsis.  In  it  were 
found  three  bodies,  lying  side  by  side,  each  wrapped 
in  a  shroud.  The  first  was  placed  with  the  feet  to- 
wards the  right  side  of  the  altar ;  the  head  had  been 
taken  away.  The  second  with  the  feet  towards  the 
left  side  of  the  altar ;  the  head  was  with  the  body, 
although  severed  from  it.  The  third,  with  the  head 
attached  to  the  body,  was  in  the  same  position  as  the 
first.* 

It  was  easy  to  recognize  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and 
Maximus,  in  this  imposing  triumvirate  of  Martyrs. 
In  the  first  place,  Paschal's  inscription  enumerated 
the  three  bodies  which  he  had  interred  near  Cecilia. 
The  absence  of  the  head,  in  the  one  occupying  the 
first  place,  left  no  doubt  that  the  body  belonged 
to    Tiburtius,  whose  head,  as  we  have  stated,  was 

of  honor  paid  by  Paschal  to  Cecilia,  only  mentions  the  material 
with  which  he  lined  her  coffin,  proving  evidently  that  the  latter 
was  not  new,  and  therefore  only  needed  ornamenting.  The 
small  size  of  the  cypress  coffin  is  easily  explained  by  the  neces-. 
sity  of  placing  it  in  one  of  those  narrow  cells,  where  the  bodies 
of  the  martyrs  were  frequently  deposited  without  coffins.  The 
very  fact  of  a  coffin  in  a  marble  sarcophagus,  would  be  a  sufficient 
proof  that  it  existed  before  Paschal's  discovery  of  the  body. 
The  bodies  of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus,  were  also  in  a 
sarcophagus,  but  they  were  laid  upon  their  backs,  simply 
wrapped  in  shrouds.  So  were  those  of  Sts.  Urban  and  Lucius. 
The  learned  Protestant  writers,  Platner,  Bunsen,  etc,  in  their 
great  work  upon  Rome,  (Beschreibung  der  Stadt  Rom.  vol.  iii., 
part  iii.  page  641.)  find  no  difficulty  in  dating  the  Saint's  atti- 
tude to  the  first  sepulture;  we  think  we  have  fully  demon- 
strated that  the  cypress  coffin  was  equally  old 
*  Bosio.  Rdalio,  etc. 


272  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

preserved  in  a  casket  in  the  Basilica..4  The  second 
was  undoubtedly  the  body  of  Cecilia's  husband,  and 
there  was  such  a  striking  resemblance  between  the 
bones  of  the  two  martyrs,  that  it  was  evident  the 
brothers  had  suffered  death  at  almost  the  same  agef 
There  was  no  doubt  that  the  third  body  was  that  of 
Maximus.  This  notary  of  Almachius  had  not  been 
beheaded,  but  had  been  beaten  to  death  with  loaded 
whips.  His  skull  bore  evident  traces  of  this  punish- 
ment. It  was  fractured  in  several  places,  and  strange 
to  say,  the  martyr's  brown  hair,  clotted  with  blood, 
was  entirely  preserved,  as  if  our  Lord  had  willed  to 
accomplish  literally  in  him,  the  promise  he  has  made 
to  his  Athletes.  MNb  one  of  your  hairs  shall  be 
lost."}  The  skeleton  of  MaiJmus  proved  that  he 
was  much  taller  than  the  brothers,  and  his  head 
adhered  so  firmly  to  his  body,  that  when  Sfondrato, 
at  a  later  period,  wished  to  remove  it,  he  had  great 
difficultv  in  doing:  so.S 

Tl^e  sepulchre  of  Popes  Urban  and  Lucius,  was 
not  discovered  on  that  day.  Sfondrato  knew  from 
Paschal's  document,  that  he  was  near  the  two  others, 
but   he  was   eager  to  return  to  Cecilia's  tomb,    to 

*  Corpus  sancti  Tiburtii  ab  illo  sancti  Valeriani  eo  argurnento 
recognituin  est.  quoniaru  sancti  Tiburtii  corpus  capite  carebat, 
cum  foris  in  Ecelesia  proprio  in  taberuaculo  conservaretur.  ut 
creditur  ab  ipso  Pasehali  Papa  sublatum.  Bosio.  Rclatio,  etc. 

t  Corpus  dein.de  sancti  Valeriani  distinctum  est  a  Sancti  Max- 
im i,  ex  eo  quod  inventum  est  illius  caput  a  trunco  corporis  df- 
vuJsum.  quod  ei  gladio  recisum  fuerat.  magnitudine  quoque.  et 
formae  proportione  capiti  Sancti  Tiburtii  it  a  simile,  ut  duorum 
pari  fere  state  fratrum  esse  videreiitur.  Bosio.  Relatlo,  etc. 

%  Luke  xxi.  IS. 

§  Contra  vero  Sancti  Haximi,  qui  non capite  plexus,  sed  ad 
Decern  plumbatia  cx-sus  fuerat.  repertom  est  caput  iia  cum  cor- 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  ♦  273 

whom  the  glory  of  this  second  Invention,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  first,  principally  belonged. 

He  ordered  the  cypress  coffin  to  be  removed  from 
the  marble  sarcophagus,  and  carried  with  lighted 
candles  to  a  place  adjoining  the  church  and  monas- 
tery, generally  used  for  hearing  the  confessions  of 
the  nuns.  A  wooden  chest  had  been  hastily  pre- 
pared, covered  with  silk  and  closed  by  a  lock. 
Sfondrato  deposited  therein  the  cypress  coffin,  con- 
taining the  precious  treasure  which  he  valued  so 
highly ;  he  then  locked  the  out  side  chest,  and  sealed 
it  with  his  seal.  A  platform  was  erected  upon 
which  the  body  of  Cecilia  was  placed,  on  an  even 
line  with  the  grated  window  looking  into  the  church, 
at  the  extremity  of  the  lateral  nave,  on  the  left  as 
you  enter  the  church.  *  The  news  of  so  important  a 
discovery  spread  quickly  through  Eome  and  excited 
the  greatest  enthusiasm. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

SFONDRATO  ACQUAINTS  CLEMENT  VIII.,  WITH  THE  DISCOVERY  OP  CECI- 
LIA'S BODY.  JOY  OF  THE  PONTIFF.  BARONIUS  COMES  TO  IDENTIFY 
THE  HOLY  RELICS. 

Sfondrato  did  not  wish  to  proceed  further,  or  to 
consummate  the  Invention  of  the  martyrs,  without 
inviting  the  Sovereign  Pontiff*  to  identify  this  sacred 

pore  conjunctum,  ut  cum  ipse  Cardinalis  tollere  illud  vellet,  ut 
extra  simul  cum  aliis  Sancti  Valeriani,  et  Tiburtii  publico  in  al- 
tari  colcretur,  magno  id  conatu  et  labore  perfecerit.  Ostendebat 
etiam  idem  caput  percussionum,  quas  ex  plumbatis  acceperat 
Hotas,  et  fractionis  signa,  licet  formam  integram  retineret,  in  quo 
subilava  quoque  caesaries  quasi  viventis,  er  omne  capillanientum 
repersa  sanguine  incerrupta ccruebantur.  tiosio.  Rclatio,  p.  311. 


274  LIFE   OP   SAINT   CECILIA. 

deposit.  Following  the  example  of  John,  who,  run- 
ning faster  than  Peter,  and  arriving  first  at  the  Sepul- 
chre, nevertheless  abstained  from  entering,  so  Sfon- 
drato,  through  deference  for  the  Chief  of  the  Apostolic 
College,  after  giving  suitable  orders,  started  for 
Frascati  where  Clement  VIII.  bad-gone  to  enjoy  the 
country  air.  Baronius  was  with  the  Pontiff.  He 
will  give  his  own  narration  of  the  great  event. 

11  Clement  was  confined  to  his  bed  with  a  violent 
attack  of  gout,  and  admitted  no  one  to  an  audience ; 
but  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  motive  of  Sfondrato's 
arrival,  he  immediately  requested  to  see  the  Cardinal, 
and  hear  from  his  own  lips,  the  account  of  this 
wonderful  discovery.  The  Pontiff  listened  to  the 
recital  with  extreme  joy,  and  was  deeply  grieved 
that  he  was  unable,  on  account  of  his  illness,  to  go 
immediately  and  pay  his  respects  to  the  great  martyr.* 
Now  it  happened  that  this  disappointment  turned  to 
my  advantage,  for,  notwithstanding  my  unworthiness, 
the  Pontiff  commissioned  me  to  identify  and  venerate 
the  body  of  St.  Cecilia.  Without  loss  of  time,  Sfon- 
drato  immediately  set  out  for  Eome ;  I  accompanied 
him,  and  the  same  evening,  we  reached  the  Church  of 
St.  Cecilia. 

"  I  saw  the  $y press  coffin  which  had  been  enclosed 
in  the  marble  sarcophagus.  It  contained  Cecilia's 
body,  and  was  closed  with  a  very  thin  and  somewhat 
inj  ured  cover.  I  gazed  with  admiration  at  the  simple 
wooden  coffin  so  perfectly  preserved  after  having  been 
buried  in  the  earth  for  eight  hundred  and  seventy 

*  Ex  eo  tamen  doluit  et  ingemuit,  quod  eo  detineretur  ex  mala 
valetudine  impedimento,  et  non  valeret  ad  invisendam  et  salu- 
tandani  tantain  Martyrein  pioperare.  Baronius.  Annal.  ad  an- 
num &21. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  275 

eight  years,  where  neither  light  nor  air  could  pene- 
trate, and  constantly  exposed  to  decay  from  the 
humidity  of  the  marble  in  which  it  was  enclosed. 
It  was  so  solid  that  it  could  be  touched  and  even 
handled  without  being  in  the  least  injured.  The 
cover  was  likewise  so  perfect  that  for  several  days 
the  coffin  was  continually  opened  and  closed  to 
satisfy  the  devotion  of  those  who  wished  to  see  and 
venerate  the  holy  Martyr." 

"  Having  fully  examined  and  admired  the  shrine, 
we  wished  to  see  the  sacred  body  which  it  inclosed. 
Then  were  verified  the  words  of  David  :  L  As  we  have 
heard,  so  have  we  seen,  in  the  city  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts  in  the  city  of  our  God.'  "* 

We  found  Cecilia's  body  in  precisely  the  same 
condition  in  which  it  was  when  Pope  Paschal  dis- 
covered and  buried  it.  At  her  feet,  the  blood-stained 
linen  ;  the  dress  of  silk  and  gold,  which  the  Pontiff 
described,  perfectly  recognizable,  although  somewhat 
impaired  by  time.f 

"  We  remarked  other  light  silken  textures  upon  the 
body,  their  depression  aided  us  in  perfectly  distin- 
guishing the  beautiful  cumbent  figure  so  modestly 
and  gracefully  distended.  We  were  struck  with  ad- 
miration to  see  that  the  body  was  not  stretched  out 
in  the  coffin,  as  the  bodies  of  the  dead  generally  are. 
The  chaste  virgin  was  lying  upon  her  right  side  as 
if  gently  sleeping  on  a  couch,  her   knees  modestly 

*  Ps.  xlvii.  9. 

f  Etenim  ut  a  Paschali  Papa  inventum  et  reoonditum  fuisse 
legimus  venerandum  Csecilia)  corpus,  ita  iuvenimus,  uempe  ad 
pedes  ejus  qua?  fuerant,  madida  sanguine  vela,  »it  seiica  tilaauro 
obdueta quae  vis ebantur,  jam  vetustate  solu®  vestis  illiua  auro 
textoB  oujus  idem  Paschal  is  meminit,  indices  erant.  Baronius, 
A  n no  1.   ad  annum  821. 


276  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

joined,  "her  whole  appearance  inspiring  such,  respect, 
that  notwithstanding  our  pious  curiosity,  no  one  ven- 
tured to  touch  her.^Every  one  was  deeply  moved 
with  veneration,  as  if  her  heavenly  Spouse,  watching 
over  her  sleep,  had  uttered  these  words:  'I  adjure, 
you  that  you  wake  not  my  beloved  till  she  please.'* 

"  We  saw,  we  recognized,  we  venerated.f  The  next 
morning  we  offered  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
upon  the  altar  of  the  Confession,  in  memory  and  in 
honor  of  this  glorious  Virgin  Martyr  and  the  other 
Saints  buried  near  her.  We  then  returned  to  Fras- 
cati,  and  reported  all  we  had  seen  to  the  sovereign 
Pontiff.  Clement  listened  with  satisfaction,  and  im- 
mediately commenced  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
translation  of  this  august  body  to  her  Confession,  a 
ceremony  which  he  declared  he  alone  would  perform 
to  the  exclusion  of  any  other  prelate,  no  matter  how 
eminent  his  dignity.  The  Feast  of  St.  Cecilia  was 
the  day  appointed  for  the  translation."^: 

We  will  discontinue  the  recital  of  this  great  an- 

*  Alia  vero  supra  Martyris  corpus  serica,  levia  tamen  velami- 
na  posita,  ipsaque  depressa  situm  ipsum  et  habitudinem  cor- 
poris ostendebant.  Visebaturque  (quod  admiratione  dignum 
erat)  non  ut  assolet  in  sepulehro  resupinum  positum  corpus, 
sed  ut  in  lecto  jacens  bones tissima  virgo  supra  dextrum  cubare 
latus,  contractis  nonnibil  ad  modestiam  genibus,  ut  dormientis 
imagineni  reddere  potius  quam  defunctce,  ipso  ita  ad  insinuan- 
dam  in  omnibus  virginalem  verecundiam  composito  situ  corporis: 
adeo  ut  (quod  seque  mirandum)  nemo  quamvis  curiosus  in- 
spector ausus  omnino  fuerit  virgineum  illud  detegere  corpus 
reverentia  quandam  inenarrabilii  repercussus,  perinde  ac  si 
coelestis  Sponsus  assisteret  vigilans  custos  dormientis  sponsae, 
monens  et  minans  :  Ne  suscitetis  neque  evigilare  faciatis  dilec- 
tam  donee  ipsa  velit.  Annal.  ad  annum  821. 

f  Vidimus,  cognovimus  et  adoravimus.  Ibid. 

X  Baronius.  Annal  ad  annum  821. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  277 

nalist,  and  beg  our  readers  to  consider  with  us  one 
of  the  most  touching  characteristics  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  so  divinely  manifested  in  the  scenes  we  have 
already  related,  and  those  which  are  yet  untold.  A 
statesman  of  our  day  has  remarked,  that  "  Catholicity 
is  the  greatest  school  for  respect  upon  earth ;"  we 
will  add  that  religion,  as  it  is  taught  and  practised 
in  the  Catholic  Church,  is  the  inexhaustible  source 
of  the  most  elevated  and  noble  emotions  which  man 
can  experience.  From  it  flow  the  many  acts  of  de- 
votedness,  the  many  generous  sacrifices,  and  the  noble 
enthusiasm  characteristic  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Would  you  know  whence  she  derives  her  marvellous 
power  ?  Doubtless  from  the  doctrine  and  example 
of  our  Saviour,  who,  since  His  ascension  to  heaven, 
has  been  pleased  to  reproduce  in  his  Saints  the  ad- 
mirable virtues  He  himself  practised.  Hence  that 
love,  that  continual  remembrance  in  the  Church,  of 
the  heroes  she  has  produced.  Hence  the  ever  old 
and  always  new  development  of  charity  which  is 
unceasingly  going  on  within  her.  The  Saints  live 
with  God  in  a  blessed  eternity ;  and  the  Church  in 
this  valley  of  tears  continually  feels  their  protection. 
Therefore  she  unceasingly  loves  them,  rejoices  in 
honoring  them,  and  in  proposing  them  to  our  imita- 
tion. If  we  cling  to  our  departed  friends  with  that 
love  which  the  Scripture  says  is  stronger  than  death,* 
how  great  must  be  the  confidence  of  the  Church  in 
the  intercession  of  the  Saints,  who  are  now  far  more 
tenderly  interested  in  each  one  of  her  children,  and 
far  more  powerful  to  aid  them  than  when  they  were 

*  Cant.  viii.  6. 

24 


278  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

themselves  sojourning  in  this  vale  of  tears.  Behold 
Clement  VIII.  the  austere  old  man,  who  during  two 
entire  years  had  refused  to  the  triumphant  Henry  of 
Navarre  the  absolution  which  through  the  medium 
of  his  ambassadors,  he  implored  upon  his  knees. 
Behold  this  Pontiff,  who  inherited  all  the  energy  of 
his  predecessors,  and  unshrinkingly  bore  the  weight 
of  the  tiara  at  the  very  time  when  so  many  pro- 
vinces of  Europe  were  separating  from  the  Church  ; 
behold  his  great  soul  filled  with  joy  on  hearing  that 
the  remains  of  a  Christian  lady  of  the  third  century 
had  been  discovered!  As  soon  as  his  strength  per- 
mitted, he  repaired  in  person  to  venerate  the  precious 
relic.  He  watered  it  with  tears  of  joy  and  emotion ; 
he  esteemed  among  the  greatest  events  of  his  ponti- 
ficate the  translation  of  Cecilia's  coffin  to  a  splendid 
casket,  to  purchase  which  he  almost  exhausted  the 
papal  treasury. 

Such  a  spectacle  is  incomprehensible  to  those  not 
initiated  in  Catholicity,  but  can  any  thing  more 
strikingly  show  the  veneration  of  the  Church  toward 
those  who  have  carried  the  practice  of  virtue  even  to 
heroism  ?  After  the  lapse  of  six  centuries,  Paschal 
rivals  St.  Urban,  in  his  respectful  tenderness  towards 
the  virgin,  and  eight  centuries  later,  the  daughter  of 
the  Cecilii  finds  the  same  pious  affection  in  the  heart 
of  Clement.  Add  to  this,  that  the  sepulture  given  to 
the  virgin  by  Paschal  was  much  more  solemn  than 
that  she  received  from  Urban's  hands  ;  and  that  the 
enthusiasm  manifested  at  the  last  translation  of  her 
body,  far  exceeded  that  shown  in  the  ninth  century, 
w^hen  her  Basilica  was  restored  by  Paschal. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  279 

Now,  however,  the  Eeformation  was  triumphing  ; 
memorials  which  had  been  cherished  for  centuries, 
were  trampled  under  foot ;  the  bones  of  the  saints 
were  thrown  into  the  highways,  because  they  re- 
called too  vividly  the  example  of  those  sublime  vir- 
tues which  were  so  uncongenial  to  a  century  emanci- 
pated from  the  superstitions  of  popery.  Nevertheless, 
Eome,  the  capital  of  the  Christian  world,  cursed  by 
so  many  nations,  and  called  the  Prostitute  of  Babylon, 
was  agitated  with  as  deep  a  joy  on  hearing  that  the  body 
of  a  young  Eoman  matron,  martyred  under  Alexan- 
der Severus,  had  been  discovered,  as  if  she  had  been 
told  that  a  treasure,  sufficient  to  enrich  each  of  her 
inhabitants,  had  been  suddenly  revealed.  And  why 
was  this?  Because  this  young  Eoman  virgin,  who 
had  been  buried  for  so  many  centuries,  was  the 
model  of  a  purity  worthy  of  Angels,  of  an  inviolable 
devotedness  to  the  God  to  whom  she  had  consecrated 
herself,  of  an  ardent  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
of  tender  charity  for  the  poor,  of  invincible  firmness 
in  confessing  the  faith  which  elevates  human  nature, 
of  courage  in  twice  braving  death,  and,  finally,  of 
that  inexpressible  charm  resulting  from  the  sublime 
virtue  of  Christian  virginity. 

Such  were  in  the  third,  the  ninth,  and  the  sixteenth 
centuries,  and  such  will  be  to  the  end  of  time,  Ceci- 
lia's claims  to  the  love  of  Christians.  Past  genera- 
tions loved  her,  because,  by  her  example,  she 
traced  out  for  them  the  path  which  leads  to  a 
better  world;  and  now,  at  the  close  of  an  heretical 
century,  she  suddenly  reappears,  as  if  to  re-enkindle 
the  spark  of  heavenly  fire,  almost  extinct  upon  earth 


280  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

How  could  Catholicity  resist  such  an  appeal?  Is  it 
astonishing  that  the  Father  of  the  Faithful,  the  Su- 
preme Head  of  that  Church,  so  sadly  decimated  by 
heresy,  should  welcome  with  joy,  and  salute  with 
gladness  one  of  its  most  noble  and  privileged 
daughters  ?  Is  it  astonishing  that  the  pious  and 
learned  Baronius  should  have  laid  aside  his  immortal 
pen,  to  hasten  to  Cecilia's  tomb,  whence  the  glorious 
martyr  was  silently  proclaiming  to  the  worid  that 
the  Church  of  Clement  VIII.  is  the  Church  of 
Urban,  because  it  is  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
Is  it  surprising  that  the  wealthy  and  generous  Sfon- 
drato  henceforth  devoted  his  zeal  and  his  riches  to 
adorning  Cecilia's  temple,  when  we  consider  that 
the  object  of  this  holy  profusion  was  to  encourage 
Catholics  to  practise  those  virtues  which  form  the 
eternal  crown  of  the  virgin  martyr  ?  This  pomp, 
these  gifts,  and  honors,  the  transports  of  the  entire 
city,  from  the  venerable  old  man  who  wore  the  tiara, 
down  to  the  most  humble  of  his  subjects,  could  not 
indeed  restore  to  the  Church,  the  half  of  Germany, 
which  had  fallen  a  victim  to  heresy,  nor  England, 
Sweden,  Denmark,  and  the  Swiss  Cantons  now  alien- 
ated from  the  Church,  which  had  been  their  common 
Mother  for  centuries.  But  they  attested  that  even  in 
this  fearful  crisis,  holiness,  purity  of  life,  and  the 
heroism  of  devotedness,  were  as  much  respected  in 
Eome,  as  they  had  ever  been.  The  time  will  come 
when  the  misguided  nations  that  have  seceded  from 
the  Faith,  fatigued  with  doubts  and  incredulity,  will 
turn  towards  the  only  country  where  the  Ideal  of 
virtue  can  never  be  lost,  since  it  is  placed  upon  the 
altar. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  281 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

SFONDRATO'S    PREPARATIONS    FOR   THE     TRANSLATION    OF    CECILIA'S 
BODY.    VENERATION    OF    CLEMENT    VIII.   FOR    THE    ROMAN  VIRGIN. 

On  his  return  to  Frascati,  Sfondrato  caused  a  new 
search  to  be  made  in  the  hopes  of  finding  the  tomb 
of  the  holy  Popes,  Urban  and  Lucius.  It  was  soon 
discovered;  Paschal  had  placed  it  under  the  sar- 
cophagus which  contained  Cecilia's  cypress  coffin. 
The  two  Pontiffs  were  laid  side  by  side,  the  former 
with  his  head  turned  towards  the  right  of  the  altar, 
whilst  the  latter  was  turned  towards  the  left.  Each 
body  was  wrapped  in  a  shroud.  Sfondrato  venerated 
with  profound  respect,  the  sacred  remains  of  these  mar- 
tyr Popes,  one  of  whom  had  been  Cecilia's  director, 
and  her  guest  in  the  very  house  upon  the  ground  of 
which  now  rose  the  Basilica.  These  precious  relics 
were  reserved  to  enhance  the  splendor  of  the  festival, 
which  Clement  had  appointed  for  the  22d  of  Novem- 
ber. But  before  this  solemn  day,  Sfondrato  deter- 
mined to  take  measures  to  ensure  to  posterity  a  part 
of  the  joy  which  he  had  experienced  in  contemplating 
the  Spouse  of  Christ  in  her  mysterious  sleep.  He 
therefore  commissioned  a  skilful  sculptor,  Stefano 
Maderno,*  to  immortalize  with  his  graceful  chisel, 
Cecilia's  attitude  in  her  tomb.  The  design  was  made 
with  scrupulous  exactness,  and  the  brilliant  young 
artist,  only  twenty-four  years  of  age,  inspired  by 
*  He  was  born  in  1576.  He  sculptured  many  of  the  ma-niil- 
cent  bass  reliefs  in  the  Pauline  Chapel  at  Bt.  Mary  Major, 
among  others,  that  which  represents  Pope  Liberius,  traoing 
upon  snow,  the  foundation  of  the  Esquiline  Basilica. 

24* 


282  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

such  a  subject,  enriched  Christian  statuary  with  this 
master-piece  of  grace  and  modesty  which  is  one  of 
the  principal  glories  of  the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica. 
He  even  represented  the  position  of  the  martyr's 
hands,  which  so  touch ingly  express  her  faith.  Three 
fingers  of  the  right  hand  were  extended  to  denote  the 
three  Persons  of  the  Holy  Trinity ;  and  the  fore- 
finger of  the  left,  held  out  to  represent  the  unity  of 
the  Godhead.  Thus  did  even  this  symbolical  sign 
prove,  after  so  many  centuries,  the  belief  for  which 
Cecilia  had  shed  her  blood.  Notwithstanding  his 
great  desire  to  take  from  this  marvellous  tomb,  some 
portion  of  its  precious  relics,  Sfondrato's  devotion 
was  too  delicate  to  permit  him  even  to  think  of  touch- 
ing the  body  which  had  been  preserved  entire  by 
Divine  Providence  during  so  many  centuries.*  He 
wished  to  reserve  it  for  the  day  when  Cecilia,  at  the 
sound  of  the  angel's  trumpet,  would  return  to  resume 
her  glorious  body,  wrhich  virginity  seemed  already  to 
have  stamped  with  immortality.  The  virgin  appeared 
anxious  to  reward  Sfondrato's  pious  reserve.  In 
order  to  retain  at  least  a  memorial  of  the  touching 
spectacle  which  had  greeted  his  eyes  upon  opening 
the  tomb,  the  Cardinal  determined  to  take  away  some 
of  the  blood-stained  linen  at  Cecilia's  feet.  He  dis- 
tributed portions  of  this  sacred  linen  to  many  of  the 
Cardinals  residing  in  Eome,  intending  to  reserve  the 

*  Sfondrato  veliementer  optanti,  precantique  saepius  aliquid 
sibi  reliquiarum  ejus  concedi,  cum  exsacro  corpore  nemo,  ac  ne 
summus  quidera  Pontifex  ob  maximam  reverentiam  tollere  ausus 
esset,  ultro  de  eodem  illi  particulam  benigna  Virgo  obtulisse  ac 
donasse  visa  est.  Bosio.  Relatio  invent,  ct  reposit,  B,  Cacilice* 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  283 

last  piece  for  himself.  Now  it  "happened  that  a  splin- 
ter of  a  bone  from  Cecilia's  head  had  adhered  to  the 
piece  which  fell  to  his  lot.*  Hence,  when  looking 
at  this  linen,  which  had  been  used  in  staunching  the 
virgin's  wounds,  the  whole  scene  of  the  caldarium 
was  present  to  his  mind.  Cecilia's  head,  fractured 
by  the  three  strokes  of  the  lictor's  sword  ;  and  the 
trembling  hand  of  some  friend,  who,  though  staunch- 
ing these  large  wounds  with  the  utmost  gentleness, 
could  not  prevent  pieces  of  bone  from  coming  away 
with  the  blood.  Sfondrato  preserved,  as  a  precious 
jewel,  this  touching  souvenir  of  the  martyr,  who  had 
bequeathed  it  to  him  at  the  very  moment  when  her 
sepulchre  was  again  to  be  closed.  He  also  wished  as 
a  last  consolation,  to  retain  a  fragment  of  Cecilia's 
clothing.  Without  touching  her  silk  tunic,  he  cut 
off  a  small  piece  of  her  dress.  It  was  probably  at 
this  time  that  he  discovered  the  secret  of  Cecilia's 
penance  ;  for  he  declares  that  he  felt  upon  her  breast, 
through  her  clothes,  the  knots  of  the  hair  shirt,  which 
like  strong  armor,  had  protected  the  virgin  in  her 
combats,  and  which  now  shared  her  honors. f 

*  Nam  cum  ex  linteaminibus  tinctis  sanguine,  quae  ad  pedes 
jacebant  (sacra  etenim  ossa  nee  ipse  quoque  tangere  audebat) 
non  nihil  idem  Cardinalis  recidere  vellet,  quorum  plerisque 
aliis  purpuratis  Patribus  particulce  divisas  fuerunt,  ad  cam 
quam  sibi  recidebat  partem  sorte  adluerescens  virginei  oranii 
fragmentum  accessit  ;  de  quo  conjici  potest,  quod  oervici  proxi- 
muin  esset  ad  triplicem  ictum  carniiicis  pene  reoisum  fuisse  ;  ita 
ut  facile  cum  ejusdem  vulnera  linteaminibus  illis,  quemadmo- 
dum  in  historia  traditur,  a  fidelibus  abstergerentur,  ipsa  abster- 
sione  in  eis  attralii,  atque  auferri  contigerit,     Bosio.  lulntio,  etc 

f  Bed  et  quemadmodum  ipse  Cardinalis  se  animadvert  isst>  tcs- 
tatiir,  sub  aureis  vestibua  rigidum  oilioii  tegmen  propiua  Baoria 
ossibus  hajrescons   latubat,   do   quo   ita  Acta  passionis  ejusdem 


284  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

We  have  said  that  the  head  of  St.  Tiburtius  had  been 
placed  by  Paschal  in  a  casket,  at  the  time  of  the  first 
Invention,  in  821.  Sfondrato,  before  closing  the 
tomb  of  the  three  martyrs,  took  away  the  heads  of 
Valerian  and  Maximus,  that  they  might  be  exposed 
in  the  Virgin's  Basilica,  with  that  of  Tiburtius,  to 
the  veneration  of  the  faithful.  Cecilia's  coffin,  as  we 
have  said,  was  placed  in  a  hall,  situated  at  the  upper 
extremity  of  the  left  nave  of  the  church,  and  could 
be  seen  through  a  grated  window  which  opened  into 
the  Basilica.  The  platform  and  coffin  were  covered 
with  rich  silk  drapery,  embroidered  with  gold. 
Handsome  candelabras,  numerous  lamps,  gold  and 
silver  flowers,  added  to  the  magnificence  of  the  deco- 
rations. No  perfumes  were  burned  near  the  body, 
because,  as  the  reliable  author  from  whom  we  gather 
these  details,  tells  us,  a  delightful  odor  of  roses  and 
lilies,  proceeding  from  the  coffin,  embalmed  the  sanc- 
tuary in  which  it  was  placed. 

Eome  was  in  a  tumult  of  joy  at  the  news  of  so  many 
miracles.  Two  months  had  not  yet  elapsed  since  the 
execution  of  the  celebrated  Beatrice  Cenci,  and  the 
emotions  excited  on  that  terrible  day  had  not  entirely 
subsided.  More  pleasing  impressions  were  about  to 
succeed  those  which  had  so  violently  agitated  the 
city  on  the  11th  of  September,  when  the  Pontiff',  in 
his  justice,  ordered  the  execution  of  this  beautiful 
and  noble  Eoman  lady.  Never  was  a  more  striking 
contrast  offered  to  the  sympathies  of  this  ardent 
people.    Beatrice,  expiating  under  the  repeated  blows 

commemorant :  Ccecilia  vero  subtus  ad  camera  v.ilicio  induta 
desuper  auro  textis  vestibus  tcgebatur.  Bosio.  Relatio  invent,  et 
reposit.  B.  Caciliic. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  285 

of  the  executioner's  axe,  the  parricide  of  which  she 
had  been  guilty,  and  imploring  pardon  of  Heaven  in 
the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd,  which,  infatuated 
with  her  beauty,  clamorously  demanded  her  release; 
Cecilia,  innocent  and  pure,  also  struck  several  times 
by  the  lictor's  sword,  camly  expiring,  surrounded  by 
her  faithful  friends,  and  leaving  behind  her  a  memory 
of  imperishable  sweetness. 

This  double  scene  must  have  presented  itself  a 
thousand  times  to  the  imagination  of  the  Eoman 
people,  and  if  the  death  of  Beatrice  taught  them  how 
a  repentant  sinner  can  die,  Cecilia's  death  proved 
how  sweetly  a  soul,  enamored  with  the  love  of  Christ, 
hastens  to  meet  him,  rejoicing  in  the  cruel  torments 
of  martyrdom.  During  the  days  which  elapsed  be- 
fore the  Translation,  the  concourse  of  people  was 
very  great.  It  became  even  necessary  to  call  upon 
the  Pontifical  Swiss  guard  to  maintain  order  in  the 
midst  of  this  outpouring  of  the  Eoman  people  upon 
the  trans- Tiberian  region.  More  than  once,  SIbndrato, 
who  seemed  to  have  taken  up  his  abode  in  Cecilia's 
house,  was  almost  crushed  by  the  crowd. 

The  young  patricians  and  Roman  princesses 
hastened  to  pay  their  homage  to  one  who  had  over- 
come all  worldly  seductions;  but  nothing  could 
equal  the  joy  of  the  nuns  of  St.  Cecilia's  monastery, 
the  guardians  of  this  precious  treasure.  They 
scarcely  knew  how  to  testily  their  gratitude  at 
having  been  permitted  to  gaze  upon  her  body;  but 

by  prayers,  chants,  and  tears,  endeavored  to  assure 

Cecilia  of  the  happiness  caused  by   her  presence   in 
their  midst.     Nearly  all  the  Cardinals  came  to  veuer- 


286  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

ate  the  Spouse  of  Christ,  and  Clement  VIII.,  having 
at  length  recovered  his  health,  hastened  from  Fras- 
cati,  to  prostrate  himself  at  her  feet.  Baronius  has 
thus  related  the  interviews  between  Urban's  suc- 
cessor and  the  great  martyr  of  the  third  century. 

Clement,  accompanied  by  the  Cardinals,  repaired 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  to  visit  and  venerate  the 
sacred  remains  of  this  Virgin  Martyr.  The  cover  of 
the  coffin  having  been  removed,  the  Pontiff  saw  and 
venerated  this  body,  worthy  of  the  respect  of  angels. 
He  offered  it  a  homage,  far  more  valuable  than  gold 
or  precious  stones; — prayers  poured  forth  from  an 
overflowing  heart,  and  tears  of  the  tenderest  emotion.* 
He  then  celebrated  the  Sacrifice  of  Mass  in  honor  of 
the  Martyr,  and  declared  his  intention  of  solemnizing 
her  approaching  feast    with  all  possible   devotion. 

*  Ubi  cum  adesset,  (Clemens),  educto  aperculo  cupressinse 
illius  capsae,  veneranduin  quoque  Auigelis  sanctissiniae  ipsius 
corpus  iis  quae  diximus  (ut  positum  fuerat  a  Paschali  Pontifice) 
opertum  velis  vidit,  et  veneratus  est,  atque  ei  tunc  quam  sciret 
omni  auro,  gemmisque  esse  gratiorem  oblationem,  preces  ob- 
tulit,  una  cum  lacrymis  oblationis  cordis  indicibus.  Baronius,  ad 
an.  8-1,  n°  xxv. 

The  Pontiff's  emotion  on  contemplating  Cecilia's  body,  h  an 
additional  example  of  that  sensibility  of  which  he  gave  many 
touching  proofs  throughout  his  life.  These  tears  of  a  stern  old 
man,  whose  soul  was  nevertheless  full  of  tenderness,  recall  his 
heart-breaking  distress  when  forced  to  condemn  the  Cenci  to 
death.  He  absented  himself  from  Rome  on  the  day  when  Bea- 
trice, her  mother-in-law,  and  her  brother,  were  to  be  executed. 
Three  discharges  of  cannon  announced  to  him  that  these  guilty 
heads  were  about  to  fall  under  the  sword  of  justice.  The  con- 
demned knew  that  at  this  moment  the  Pontiff  would  extend 
his  hand  to  give  them  the  Apostolic  Indulgence  for  the  hour 
of  death.  No  sooner  was  this  paternal  act  accomplished,  than 
Clement  VIII.,  fell  senseless  into  the  arms  of  his  prelates. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA.  287 

But  Clement  should  be  particularly  admired  for  his 
extreme  modesty ;  he  would  not  consent  to  raise  the 
silken  veil  which  enveloped  the  Virgin.  The  blood 
which  discolored  the  tomb,  recalled  too  vividly  that 
chaste  blush  which  is  the  guardian  of  virginal  modesty. 
He  was  quite  satisfied  with  seeing  the  Virgin's  body 
through  the  veil  which  covered  it,  and  with  reading 
the  characters  engraven  near  the  sepulchre  and  pre- 
served through  so  many  centuries,  by  a  dispensation 
of  Providence  ;  in  a  word,  with  finding  every  thing 
conformable  to  Paschal's  document.*  Clement  after- 
wards venerated  his  holy  predecessors,  Urban  and 
Lucius,  and  the  martyrs  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and 
Maximus,  whose  tombs  were  opened  for  a  moment  in 
his  presence. 

The  Pontiff' would  not  be  outdone  in  generosity  by 
a  Cardinal,  and  he  therefore  determined  to  offer 
Cecilia  on  the  day  of  her  Translation,  a  present 
worthy  of  her  and  of  the  Apostolic  See.  As  soon  as 
he  had  heard  at  Frascati,  from  Sfondrato  and  Ba- 
ronius,  the  report  of  the  discovery,  he  felt  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  prove  in  some  way,  his  veneration 
towards  the  Virgin.  At  first,  he  resolved  upon 
ordering  a  gold  casket  to  contain  the  Martyr's  body; 
but  the  two  Cardinals  dissuaded  him,  representing 
to  him   that  so   rich    an    object,  beneath   an    altar, 

*  Sed  ejus  plurimnm  in  eo  commendata  modestia  fait  quod  in- 
vitatus  licet,  noluit  reductis  velis,  nudum  Virginia  corpus  quan- 
tumlibet  exsiccatum  inspicere,  cui  esse  videretur  loco  ruboris 
eustodi.s  verecundiae  vir^inalis,  sanguis  aspersus  ;  Batia  ad  (idem 
esse  scions,  membra  singula  cognovisse  persupposita  vela,  atque 
vidisse  a  praedecessore  inscripta  Bepulohro  atque  descripta  diplo- 
mats signacula  illcesa  reperta,  atque  divinitus  oonservata  Uosio. 
liclatio  inventt  et  r  epos  it,  11.  Ctectfue. 


288  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

might  excite  cupidity.  Clement,  therefore,  decided 
upon  a  silver  casket,  in  the  form  of  a  tomb,  suffi- 
ciently large  to  hold  the  cypress  coffin. 

The  silversmith,  charged  with  the  commission, 
was  ordered  to  finish  and  present  his  work  to  the 
Pope  before  the  day  appointed  for  the  Translation. 
He  used  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  pounds  of  silver, 
and  his  price  for  his  work  and  materials,  was  four 
thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty  gold  crowns.  The 
casket  was  lined  with  purple  silk ;  the  exterior 
being  studded  with  stars  which  gave  it  the  appear- 
ance of  a  new  heaven,  according  to  the  poetical 
expression  of  Baronius,  who  compares  the  artist  to 
Beseleel,  the  divinely  inspired  fabricator  of  the  Ark 
of  Alliance  and  the  Golden  Candlestick.* 

The  design  was  quite  simple, f  four  golden  cheru- 
bim were  placed  upon  the  corners  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  casket.  The  arms  of  Clement  VIII.  with  the 
tiara  and  keys,  all  richly  gilt,  were  in  relievo  on  the 
sides.  This  immense  coffin  was  hermetically  closed. 
The  lid  bore  this  inscription. 

CORPVS  S.  CJECILI^E  VIRGINIS  ET  MARTYRIS 

A  CLEMENTE  VIII.  PONT.  MAX.   INCLVSM. 

ANJSTO  M.  D.  IC.  PONTIF  VIII.J 

Whilst  admiring  this  magnificent  silver  casket, 
our  thoughts  naturally  revert  to  the  elegant,  large, 

*  In  qua  elaboranda,  instar  Beselelielis  inspirati  divimtus  eni- 
tuit  industria  excellentis  opificis,  qui  veluti  alterum  ccelam  cor- 
pori,  cujus  esset  incoelo  anima,  fabricans,  thecam  illam  stelli3 
auri  fulgore  micantibus  exornavit.  Baronius,  ad.  an.  821,  n°  xxv. 

t  See  the  design  in  Bosio.  page  168. 

t  The  body  of  St.  Cecilia.  Virgin  and  Martyr,  entombed  here 
by  Clement  VIII.  in  the  year  1599,  the  8th  of  his  Pontificate. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  289 

but  empty  sarcophagus  of  Cecilia  Metella,  left  with- 
out  honor   under   the    portico    of  a    palace.     This 
wealthy  lady  had  tasted  of  all   the  pleasures  offered 
by  the  world  to  its  favorites,  the  monument  erected 
to  her  memory  by   Crassus,  her  husband,  had  for 
centuries   ornamented   the  Appian   Way;    but   the 
name  of  Cecilia  Metella  will  never  make  the  heart 
throb;    no    one   has    ever    expressed   the    slightest 
anxiety  respecting  the  fate  of  the  bones  which  once 
reposed  in  this  sepulchre,  now  a  mere  object  of 
curiosity,  whereas,  the  Christian  Cecilia  was  sought 
for  with  care  in  the  vaults  of  the  Catacombs,  and 
saluted  with  enthusiasm  each  time  that  her  mortal 
remains  were  brought  to  the  light  of  day.     The  con- 
trast between  the  two  Cecilias  is  still  more  strikingly 
shown  by  the  symbols  upon  their  sepulchres.     The 
sarcophagus  of  Cecilia   Metella  is  exposed  to  the 
inclemencies  of  the  weather,  its  decorations  awaken 
no   sentiment   of  piety  in    the   soul.     Two   horses' 
heads  spring   from    the   centre    of  the    undulating 
channels  which  adorn  the  tomb ;  the  upper  part  is 
decorated  with  a  severe  and   graceful  frieze,   sur- 
mounted by  foliage,  under  the  shade  of  which  some 
animals  are  sporting;  nothing  to  suggest  the  hope 
of  immortality,  or  even  a  pious  thought ;  it  is  mere 
paganism  in  all  its  elegant  coldness. 

What  a  contrast  to  the  tomb  of  the  Christian 
Cecilia!  If  Urban,  in  his  paternal  tenderness,  could 
only  offer  the  Virgin  and  her  narrow  collin,  an 
honorable  cell  excavated  in  the  *  soft  stone  of  the 
Callistus  Cemetery,  Paschal  prepared  for  her  a  mar- 
ble sarcophagus ;  and  although  he  buried  her  in  a 


290  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

crypt  under  the  altar  of  the  Basilica,  he  enriched 
the  latter  with  elegant  monuments,  and  took  care 
that  posterity  should  know  that  beneath  the  sump- 
tuous altar,  Cecilia  was  resting  in  peace.  Eight 
centuries  later,  Clement  VIII.  deemed  a  marble 
tomb  unworthy  of  the  cypress  coffin;  prudence  for- 
bade his  encasing  it  in  gold ;  he  therefore  ordered  a 
silver  casket  to  be  prepared  for  the  Christian  daugh- 
ter of  the  Cecilii.  No  vain  ornaments  enrich  this 
casket ;  its  decorations  all  speak  to  the  beholder  of 
the  life  beyond  the  grave.  Angels,  whose  presence 
reminds  us  of  Cecilia's  angelic  purity;  brilliant 
gold  stars,  emblematic  of  heaven ;  the  tiara  and 
keys,  proving  the  humble  and  tender  respect  of  the 
Head  of  the  Church  to  the  virgin  and  martyr ;  such 
are  the  emblems  which  adorn  Cecilia's  tomb  and 
render  it  far  preferable,  in  the  eyes  of  Christians,  to 
the  beautiful  sarcophagus  of  Cecilia  Metella.  With 
the  artist  and  archaeologist,  we  admire  the  latter,  as 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  among  the  monuments, 
erected  by  the  ancient  Eomans ;  but  the  silver  casket, 
containing  the  body  of  St.  Cecilia,  speaks  to  our 
heart,  and  teaches  us  lessons  which  Christians  alone 
can  understand  and  fully  appreciate. 

The  sarcophagus,  formerly  prepared  by  St.  Paschal, 
was  too  small  to  contain  both  the  coffin  and  casket; 
Sfondrato  therefore  ordered  a  new  white  marble  se- 
pulchre to  be  substituted  for  the  old  one.  The  two 
sarcophagi,  containing,  one  the  bodies  of  Saints  Ti- 
burtius,  Valerian,  and  Maximus,  the  other,  the  holy 
Popes  Urban  and  Lucius,  were  left  in  the  same 
place  in  the  Confession,  the  relics  not  being  disturbed, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  291 

with  the  exception  of  the  two  heads  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  and  a  few  bones  which  Sfondrato  took 
away  from  each  of  these  venerable  bodies.  He  sent 
the  wooden  box,  in  which  the  cypress  coffin  had  been 
enclosed  from  the  day  of  its  Invention  to  that  of  the 
Translation,  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Paul  at  Milan  ; 
where  two  of  his  sisters  and  several  other  members 
of  his  family,  had  consecrated  themselves  to  God. 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

TRANSLATION    OF   CECILIA' S  BODY   BY   CLEMENT    VIII. 

The  22d  of  November  at  last  arrived,  and  was 
greeted  by  the  Eomans  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm, 
their  joy  being  sensibly  increased  by  the  rumor  of 
the  numerous  miracles*  which  Cecilia  had  wrought 
since  the  recent  discovery  of  her  body.  In  order  to 
avoid  accidents,  a  papal  edict  was  published,  forbid- 
ding the  driving  of  carriages  through  the  trans-Ti- 
berian  region,  on  the  morning  of  the  Translation. 
The  Basilica  was  adorned  with  magnificence  worthy 
of  such  a  festival.  The  body  of  Cecilia,  in  her 
cypress  coffin,  covered  with  a  drapery  of  cloth  of 
gold,  rested  upon  the  altar,  which  had  been  enlarged 
for  the  occasion.  The  light  of  a  thousand  torches 
was  reflected  in  the  beautiful  marble  columns  of  the 
ciborium,  and  in  the  enamel  of  Paschal's  mosaics. 
Clement  VIII.  escorted  by  tne  Sacred  College  ard  an 
immense  crowd  arrived  at  the  gates  of  Cecilia's  pal- 

*  Bosio.  Relatio  inventionis.   S.  Ccrcilur,  page  103. 


292  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

ace.  He  immediately  repaired  to  the  sacristy,  where 
he  blessed  the  casket;  this  was  then  carried  to  the 
crypt,  and  laid  open  upon  the  white  marble  sarcopha- 
gus, which  was  resting  upon  the  tomb  of  Popes  Ur- 
ban and  Lucius.  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus 
awaited  Cecilia,  who  was  soon  to  resume  her  place 
near  them.  The  procession  advanced  towards  the 
altar,  where  the  Holy  .sacrifice  of  the  Mass  was  to  be 
offered.  Forty-two  Cardinals,  richly  robed  and 
mitred,  followed  the  Prelates.  In  this  august 
body,  were  Alexander  de  Medicis,  who  was  destined 
to  govern  the  Church  after  Clement,  under  the  name 
of  Leo  XL ;  Camille  Borghese,  who  succeeded  Leo, 
as  Paul  V. ;  Caesar  Baronius,  the  historian  of  the 
Church;  Eobert  Bellarmin,  the  conqueror  of  heresy, 
who  was  one  day  to  be  placed  on  our  altars.  France 
was  represented  by  d'Qssat ;  Literature,  by  Silvio 
Antoniani ;  Faith,  Piety,  and  Charity  to  the  poor,  by 
the  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  among  whom  Paul 
Emilius  Sfondrato  was  the  centre  of  attraction. 

Clement,  robed  in  his  cope,  and  crowned  with 
the  tiara,  followed  the  Cardinals,  walking  under  a 
splendid  canopy,  supported  by  the  ambassadors  of 
the  Eepublic  of  Venice,  and  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy, 
and  by  Eoman  princes. 

The  French  ambassador  held  up  the  cope,  when 
the  Pontiff  descended  from  the  sedla  gestatoria,  and 
directed  his  steps  to  the  altar.  The  Holy  Sacrifice 
was  celebrated  with  all  the  ceremonies  used  at  St. 
Peter's,  when  the  Pontiff*  officiates.  The  assistant 
deacons  were  Cardinal  Francis  Sforza,  and  Cardinal 
Alexander   de   Montalto,    a   nephew  of  Sixtus   V., 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  293 

whilst  Cardinal  Peter  Aldobrandini, Clement's  nephew, 
filled  the  functions  of  deacon  of  the  altar.  The 
Pope  added  the  Collect  of  LUa.  'l  lburtius,  Valerian, 
and  Maximus,  to  that  of  Cecilia. 

After  the  communion,  according  to  the  ancient 
custom,  they  proceeded  to  the  Translation  of  Cecilia's 
body.  Sfondrato  descended  first  into  the  Presbyte- 
rium,  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  the  Virgin  and  the 
Pontiff',  at  their  entrance  into  the  crypt.  After  the 
Pope  had  incensed  the  body  three  times,  four  Cardi- 
nal Deacons,  Odoard  Farnese.  Antonio  Facchinetti, 
Peter  Aldobrandini,  and  Bartholomew  Cesi,  raised 
the  cypress  coffin  from  the  altar,  and,  preceded  by 
deacons  bearing  the  cross  and  seven  gold  candle- 
sties,  descended  into  the  subterranean  vault  of  the 
Confession.  During  the  ceremony,  Clement  laid  his 
hand  on  Cecilia's  coffin,  as  if  to  take  direct  part  in 
the  Translation.  The  members  of  the  Sacred  Col- 
lege surrounded  the  Pontiff,  and  the  choir  chanted 
the  following  anthem: 

"0,  beata  Cgecilia,  quae  Almachium  superasti,  Ti- 
burtium  et  Valerianum  ad  martyr ii  coronam  vo- 
casti  P* 

The  distance  between  the  altar  and  the  tomb  was 
very  short.  Clement,  assisted  by  the  deacons,  de- 
posited the  virgin's  coffin  in  the  silver  casket,  and 
then,  receiving  from  Sfondrato  a  plate  of  the  same 
metal,  upon  which  was  engraved  an  account  of  this 
last  Translation,  he  placed  it  in  the  inside  of  the 
casket.     Finally,  after  again  incensing  the  precious 

*  Happy  Cecilia  !  Thou  didst  triumph  over  Ahnachius  ;  Thou 
didst  call  Tiburtius  and  Valerian  to  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 

25 


294  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

relics  three  times,  the  Pontiff  prostrated  himself,  and 
with  abundant  tears  and  fervent  prayers,  bade  adieu 
to  Cecilia  in  the  name  of  the  Church  ;  he  then  closed 
the  casket,  and  sealed,  with  his  own  seal,  the  marble 
slab  which  was  placed  over  the  sarcophagus ;  and 
then,  preceded  and  followed  by  his  imposing  retinue 
he  returned  to  the  altar,  where  he  recited  the  con- 
cluding prayers  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  and  gave  his 
apostolic  benediction  to  the  people,  who  crowded  the 
church,  the  porch,  and  the  adjacent  squares  and 
streets.  The  concourse  of  the  faithful  continued 
until  night ;  the  day  had  been  lovely ;  the  air  balmy 
as  that  of  spring.  Such  weather,  extraordinary  for 
the  month  of  November,  was  the  more  remarkable, 
as  the  preceding  days  had  been  cold  and  rainy. * 

The  following  is  the  inscription,  engraven  upon 
the  silver  plate  presented  by  Sfondrato  to  be  enclosed 
in  the  silver  casket. 

"  Hie  requiescit  corpus  S.  Caeciliae.  Virginis  et 
Marty ris,  quod  a  Paschali  primo  Pontifice  Maximo 
ipsa  revelante  repertum,  et  in  hanc  Ecclesiam  transla- 
tum,  et  sub  hoc  altari  una  cum  corporibus  SS.  Mar- 
tyrum  Lucii  et  Urbani  Pontificum,  nee  non  Yaleriani, 
Tiburtii  et  Maximi  reconditum, 

Iterum  post  annos  fere  DCCO.  Clemente  VIII., 
Pont.  Max.  cum  iisdem  Sanctis  Martyribus  lucem 
adspexit,  die  xx.  Octobris,  anno  Dominicae  Incarna- 
tionis  M.  D.  IC.  Cujus  S.  Virginis  corpus  prasdictus 

*  At  populi  frequentia  deinceps  ad  nocteni  usque  affluere  non 
destitit,  ccelo  ipso  obsecundante,  quod,  cum  foedis  imbribus  per 
dies  proximos  exundasset,  eo  die  ita  placidum  ac  serenum  afiul- 
sit,  ut  hybernus  rigor  in  vernam  temperiem  versus  esse  videre- 
tur.  Bosio.  Relatio  inventionis  corporis  B.  Ccecilice,  page  167. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  295 

D.  N.  Papa  Clemens  veteri  lignea  capsa,  in  qua  jace- 
bat,  argentese  inclusa,  intactum  immutatumque,  hoe 
eodem  loco  in  quo  fuerat  collocatum,  post  peracta 
Missarum  solemnia,  maxima  cum  devotione  et  lachry- 
mis,  toto  spectante  populo,  reposuit,  xxn.  Novembris, 
ipso  festo  Virginis  die  M.  D.  IC. 

Ad  cujus  latus  in  alia  seorsum  capsa  praedicti  tres 
Martyres,  Valerianus,  Tiburtius  et  Maximus  requies- 
cunt ;  nee  non  sub  ipso  Virginis  corpore  in  alia  simi- 
liter area  praedicti  duo  Martyres,  ac  Pontifices  Lu- 
cius et  Urbanus,  prout  a  Paschali  Pontifice  omnes  in 
iis  conditi  sunt. 

Ego  Paulus  Tituli  S.  Caecilse  S.  E.  B.  Presbyter 
Cardinalis  Sfondratus,  cui  licet  miserrimo  peccatori 
praedicta  corpora,  quae  diuturnitate  temporis  fere  in 
tenebris  jacebant,  et  invenire,  et  videre,  et  venerari 
a  Deo  Optimo  Max.  datum  est  memoriam  hanc  hisce 
litteris,  consignavi.  Anno  Dominicae  Incarnationis 
M.  D.  IC.  die  xxn.  Novembris,  sedente  Clemente 
VIII.  summo  Pontifice,  ejusdem  Pontificatus  anno 
VIII."* 

*  Here  reposes  the  body  of  Saint  Cecilia,  Virgin  and  Martyr, 
discovered  by  Pope  Paschal  I.  who  transferred  it. to  this  Church, 
and  buried  it  under  this  altar,  with  the  bodies  of  the  Holy  Martyrs, 
Lucius  and  Urban,  Popes  ;  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus. 
Nearly  eight  centuries  after,  under  the  pontificate  of  Clement 
VIII.,  the  body  of  this  holy  Virgin  was  again  discovered  on  the 
20th  of  October,  a.d.  1599,  together  with  those  of  the  same  holy 
martyrs.  On  the  22d  of  November,  the  same  Pope,  Clement  the 
VIII.,  after  solemnly  celebrating  the  Holy  Sacrifice  04  the  Mass, 
restored,  in  presence  of  the  people,  and  with  great  devotion  and 
many  tears,  the  Virgin's  body  to  the  place  it  formerly  OCOUpied. 
He  enclosed  the  coffin  in  a  silver  casket,  and  did  not  permit  the 
body  to  be  disturbed.  In  an  adjoining  tomb,  the  three  martyrs 
Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus  repose.     Beneath  the  Virgin's 


296  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

This  short  account,  engraven  upon  a  silver  plate, 
buried  in  St.  Cecilia's  tomb,  was  not  sufficient  for 
posterity.  The  learned  explorer  of  subterranean 
Rome,  Antonio  Bosio,  determined  to  commemorate 
the  last  Translation  of  the  Virgin's  body,  by  publish- 
ing a  new  edition  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  After 
having  carefully  collated  the  manuscripts  of  the 
Basilica  with  those  of  the  Vatican  Library,  of  St. 
Peter's  Chapter,  and  of  the  Colonna  Palace,  he  pub- 
lished in  the  next  year  a  new  edition  of  the  Acts, 
accompanied  with  a  number  of  notes.  Ecclesiastical 
archaeology  has  doubtless  made  much  progress  since 
the  time  of  Bosio,  but  this  great  man  certainly  merits 
to  share  with  Baronius,  the  glory  of  having  been  one 
of  the  first  to  open  the  path  of  Christian  erudition, 
and  of  having  been  rarely  surpassed  therein. 

Bosio  added  to  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  the  famous 
document  of  Paschal,  which  he  enriched  with  many 
important  notes.  He  concluded  his  work  with  a 
description  of  the  last  discovery  of  Cecilia  and  her 
companions,  and  the  ceremonies  observed  at  the  second 
Translation.  Bosio  declares  that  he  either  witnessed 
himself,  or  heard  from  Sfondrato's  lips,  all  the  facts 
which  he  relates.*     This  work  appeared  in  Rome, 

body,  and  in  another  tomb,  are  the  two  martyrs,  Popes  Lucius 
and  Urban,  in  the  very  spot,  where  they  were  buried  by  Pope 
Paschal.  I,  Paul  Sfondrato,  Cardinal  Priest  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Church,  Titulary  of  Saint  Cecilia,  to  whom  although  such  a 
miserable  sinner,  Almighty  God  deigned  to  grant  the  favor  of 
discovering,  beholding,  and  venerating  this  holy  body,  which 
time  seemed  to  have  buried  in  darkness, — I  have  drawn  up  this 
inscription  in  remembrance  of  this  event.  The  year  of  Our  Lord, 
1599,  the  221  of  November,  under  Pope  Clement  the  VIII.— in 
the  eighth  year  of  his  pontificate. 

*  Hsec  sunt,  quas  in  postrema  corporis  B.  Coeciliae  Virginis, 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  297 

in  1600,  with  a  dedication  to  the  Cardinal,  who  him- 
self wrote  an  attestation,  by  which  he  certified  Bosio's 
exactitude  in  the  collation  of  the  manuscripts,  and  his 
strict  adherence  to  truth  in  his  account  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  holy  bodies.* 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CONFIRMATION  OF  THE  ACTS   OF   ST.  CECILIA   BY  THE   CIRCUMSTANCES 
ATTENDING  THE  SECOND  DISCOVERY  OF  HER  BODY. 

The  few  details  left  us  by  Paschal  concerning  the 
first  discovery  of  Cecilia's  body,  all  tend  to  prove 
the  truth  of  her  Acts ;  these  are  now  confirmed  be- 
yond all  doubt  by  the  circumstances  attending  the 
second  discovery  of  the  martyr's  precious  remains. 
First,  we  shall  remark  that  the  position  of  Cecilia's 
body  is  very  different  from  that  of  any  other  martyr 
found  in  Eome  or  elsewhere.  But  when  we  recall 
the  manner  and  circumstances  of  her  death,  as  related 
in  her  Acts,  the  reason  of  this  difference  is  obvious. 

Sociorumque  Martyrum  detectione,  ac  solemni  repositione  acta 
sunt,  prout  cum  oculis  nostris  nos  ipsi  conspexirnus,  turn  ex  ip- 
sius  Cardinalis  Sfondrati,  qui  his  omnibus  diligenter  astitit,  ao 
praefuit,  fideli  relatione  cognovimus.  Bosio.  Relatio  Invent,  et 
Reposit.  corporis  S.  Cazcilice,  page  170. 

*  Nos  Paulus  Tituli  S.  Cacciliae  S.  R.  E.  Presbyter  Cardinalis 
Sfondratus,  lias  Sanctissimae  Virginis  Caecilia?,  ejusque  Sociorum 
vitas  ex  quamplurimis,  iisque  vetutissimis  codicibus  integraa  ab 
Antonio  Bosio  excerptas  fuisse,  necnon  qua?  do  invent  ione  Corpo- 
rum  eorumdem  Sanctorum  ab  ipso  rcfcruntur,  omnia  ftdeliter, 
sincere,  atque  ad  veritatom  conscripta  esse  testamur. 

20* 


298  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

As  she  lies  there  in  her  sarcophagus,  we  easily  re- 
cognize the  Koman  virgin,  expiring  on  the  floor  of 
her  own  pa] ace,  shrinking  with  virginal  modesty 
from  the  gaze  of  those  who  came  in  crowds  to  witness 
her  triumphal  death.  Secondly,  Sfondrato  bears 
witness  to  the  hair  shirt  mentioned  in  the  Acts,  as 
the  armor  with  which  the  heroic  virgin  shielded  her- 
self from  the  seductions  of  an  effeminate  world.  "We 
say  nothing  of  the  gold-embroidered  robe  and  the 
bloody  linen,  for  these  are  expressly  mentioned  in 
Paschal's  document.  Thirdly,  the  stature  of  the 
Saint,  as  determined  in  1599,  is  a  fresh  pr^oof  of  the 
correctness  of  her  Acts.  Bosio  declares  that  her 
body,  as  it  lay  in  the  cypress  coffin,  measured  only 
four  feet.  Of  course  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
contraction  of  the  limbs  produced  by  pain  and  by 
time,  also  for  the  position  of  the  body,  the  knees  being 
slightly  drawn  up;  but  with  all  these  allowances, 
Cecilia's  stature  must  have  been  below  the  middle 
height.  This  accounts  for  her  having  been  forced 
to  mount  on  a  marble  stand,  when  addressing  the 
soldiers  of  Almachius,  that  she  might  be  heard  by 
all;  it  also  accounts  for  the  first  exclamation  of  Al- 
machius when  she  was  brought  before  his  tribunal : 
11  Who  art  thou,  child  ?"  (puella).  But  it  is  not  only 
in  what  concerns  St.  Cecilia  that  the  discovery  of 
1599  attests  the  minute  fidelity  of  the  Acts.  These 
relate  that  Valerian  and  Tiburtius  were  beheaded. 
Now  one  of  the  sarcophagi  contained  the  bodies  of 
two  martyrs  who  had  evidently  suffered  death  by 
the  headman's  axe.  The  Acts  state  .that  Almachius 
was  puzzled  with  regard  to  the  respective  tfges  of  the 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  299 

brothers,  and  thirteen  centuries  later,  their  skeletons 
were  so  strikingly  alike  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  distinguish  one  from  the  other,  if  each 
body  had  not  been  wrapt  in  a  separate  shroud.  The 
Acts  relate  that  Maximus  was  not  beheaded,  but 
beaten  to  death  with  loaded  whips ;  now,  in  1599, 
the  head  of  this  martyr  was  found  adhering  to  the 
body,  his  skull  fractured,  and  his  hair  clotted  with 
blood,  thus  proving  by  what  kind  of  torment  he 
gained  his  heavenly  crown.  There  is  still  another 
circumstance  of  the  greatest  importance  in  this  de- 
monstration of  the  Acts  of  Saint  Cecilia  by  archaeo- 
logical details.  Our  readers  have  not  forgotten  the 
oratory,  opening  upon  one  of  the  lateral  naves  of  the 
Basilica,  on  the  right,  as  you  enter  the  Church,  and 
designated  under  the  name  of  St.  Cecilia's  Bath. 
This  sanctuary,  which  from  time  immemorial,  had 
been  considered  as  an  appendage  of  the  Church, 
and  honored  with  a  private  altar,  was  a  monument 
of  the  kind  of  martyrdom  suffered  by  the  Saint, 
according  to  her  Acts.  The  existence  of  this  sanc- 
tuary moreover  supports  the  assertion  contained  in 
these  Acts  that  St.  Cecilia  in  dying  bequeathed  her 
house  to  Pope  St.  Urban,  to  be  converted  into  a 
Basilica.  There  is  no  question  here  of  one  of  those 
public  baths,  established  near  some  of  the  churches 
in  Eome  and  elsewhere,  which  were  used  by  the 
faithful  for  certain  mysterious  ablutions.  This  was 
a  sudatorium,  used  for  vapor  baths,  totally  different 
from  those  taken  by  the  Christians  of  the  first  cen- 
turies in  the  sacred  Thermae  of  the  ohurohes,  More- 
over, this  oratory  was  constantly  honored   by  the 


300  LIFE  OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

faithful.  If  we  admit  the  veracity  of  the  Acts,  this 
veneration  is  easily  understood,  and  becomes  a  fresh 
proof  of  the  event  which  it  commemorates.  In  the 
course  of  time,  the  primitive  character  of  this  oratory 
was  totally  destroyed  by  the  numerous  repairs  made 
at  different  periods ;  so  much  so,  that  a  few  years 
before  the  discovery  of  Cecilia's  tomb,  a  Christian 
archaeologist  writing  in  Eome,  expressed  some  doubts 
as  to  the  truth  of  the  tradition  which  specifies  this 
sanctuary  as  the  caldarium  where  the  virgin  had 
suffered  martyrdom. 

Sfondrato  determined  to  restore  this  venerable 
place  to  its  antique  form,  and  ancient  honors.  Whilst 
superintending  the  repairing  and  embellishing  of  the 
Basilica,  he  ordered  a  search  to  be  made  under  the 
floor  of  this  chapel  which  was  found  to  be  built  upon 
a  vault.  Shortly  after,  the  hypocaust  of  a  bath  was 
discovered.  The  apertures  which  had  been  closed, 
were  easily  re-opened,  and  a  large  boiler  was  found, 
with  the  remains  of  a  leaden  pipe,  through  which  the 
vapor  had  formerly  ascended  to  the  caldarium. 
Sfondrato  disposed  the  decorations  of  the  chapel  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  destruction  of  a  memorial  so 
dear  to  his  piety,  should  henceforth  be  an  impossi- 
bility. He  caused  iron  gratings  to  be  placed  over 
the  openings,  through  which  the  pilgrims  could  look 
into  the  hypocaust  and  distinguish  the  boiler  which 
had  escaped  the  ravages  of  time.  He  cleared  the 
terra  cotta  pipes  through  which  the  vapor  had  passed, 
as  well  as  a  leaden  pipe,  which,  like  the  former,  was 
carried  above  the  floor  of  the  room ;  both  were  pro- 
tected by  brass  plates  fastened  to  the  wall.     Nothing 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  301 

was  neglected  to  restore  this  venerable  monument  to 
its  original  form — that  of  a  sudatorium,  the  dimen- 
sions of  which  were  much  smaller  than  those  of  the 
ancient  public  hot  baths,  but  in  perfect  accordance 
with  the  private  dwelling  to  which  it  had  belonged.* 

We  have  before  mentioned  that  Sfondrato  pre- 
served, until  his  death,  the  small  splinter  of  bone 
which  he  had  found  adhering  to  the  piece  of  linen 
with  which  Cecilia's  wound  had  been  staunched.  He 
bequeathed  it  to  his  dear  Basilica,  and  we  have  had 
the  happiness  of  holding  in  our  hands  this  precious 
pledge  of  the  martyr's  gratitude  to  her  faithful  ser- 
vant. It  is  enclosed  in  a  very  elegant  reliquary, 
bronze  gilt,  in  the  form  of  a  tower.  It  stands  upon 
a  pedestal  and  is  set  with  crystals. 

In  reviewing  all  these  circumstances,  brought  to 
light,  and  certified  so  many  centuries  after  the  events 
to  which  they  refer,  is  it  not  evident  that  they  form 
a  most  imposing  demonstration  in  favor  of  the  Acts 
of  St.  Cecilia? 

Would  not  such  important  archa3ological  discov- 
eries be  more  than  sufficient  to  banish  all  doubt 
respecting  the  truth  of  any  recital  handed  down  to 
us  by  antiquity  ?  Would  not  all  the  academicians 
of  Europe  agree  in  acquitting  its  author  of  the  charge 

*  Platner  and  Bunsen  find  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  in  this 
chapel  the  Bath  where  Cecilia  expired  (Besohreibnng  der  Btadt 

Rom.  Tome  iii.  3re  partie,  pages  04:5  and  0*44.)  The  fact  of  their 
not  seeing  the  boiler  in  the  hypocaust,  can  be  explained  only 
by  an  error  which  they  might  have  easily  avoided.  The  room 
communicated  with  the  furnace  by  two  apertures  ;  the  boiler 
could  only  ho  Been  through  that  on  the  right.  These  learned 
Germans  may  only  have  examined  it  through  the  aperture  OB 
the  left,  and  seeing  nothing,  may  have  discontinued  their  search. 


302  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

of  falsehood  brought  against  him  ?  Would  they  not 
be  unanimous  in  condemning  preceding  generations 
for  their  injustice  towards  an  author  whose  recital 
they  had  taken  no  pains  to  verify?  Such  has  been 
the  justification  of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  Their 
truth  has  been  incontestably  proved  by  the  great 
discoveries  of  which  we  have  spoken. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SFONDRATO  DISCOVERS  THE  BODY  OF  ST.  AGNES.  HIS  PIETY  TOWARDS 
THE  MOTHER  OF  GOD  AXD  THE  SAINTS.  HIS  WILL  AND  DEATH. 
HIS  EPITAPH  IN  THE  BASILICA  OF  ST.  CECILIA. 

The  fervent  piety  of  Sfondrato  and  his  success  in 
discovering  Cecilia's  tomb,  inspired  him,  some  years 
later,  with  the  thought  of  trying  to  find  the  body  of 
St.  Agnes  in  her  Basilica  outside  the  walls,  on  the 
Nomentana  road. 

Martyred  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  under  the  Empe- 
ror Diocletian,  about  seventy  years  after  the  death 
of  St.  Cecilia,  Agnes  shares  with  her  the  homages 
of  Home  and  of  Catholicity.  Sfondrato  was  destined 
to  discover  this  new  treasure,  and  to  prepare  a 
worthy  triumph  for  this  heroic  child  whose  pure  life 
and  courageous  death  place  her  upon  a  level  with 
the  daughter  of  the  Cecilii. 

Clement  VIII.  had  yielded  his  great  soul  to  God. 
The  pontificate  of  his  successor,  Leo  XL,  was  very 
short,  and  in  1605,  the  Apostolic  Senate  confided  the 
destinies  of  the  Church  to  the  powerful  and  faithful 
hands  of  Paul  V.     Scarcely  was  the  Conclave  over, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  303 

when  Sfondrato  who  had  generously  determined  to 
restore  at  his  own  expense  the  Basilica  of  St.  Agnes, 
commenced  his  work ;  he  would  not  however  permit 
the  architects  to  begin,  until  he  himself  had  directed 
a  search  for  the  relics  of  the  holy  martyr. 

On  Friday,  the  7th  of  October,  1605,  he  repaired 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Agnes,  accompanied  by  the 
Chevalier  Sasso-Ferrato,  a  gentleman  of  his  house- 
hold, and  brother  Nicostrato,  an  oblate  of  the  monas- 
tery of  St.  Peter,  in  Vincoli  The  presence  of  the 
latter  was  necessary,  as  the  Nomentana  Basilica  was 
a  dependency  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Peter.  Sfon- 
drato had  considered  it  most  probable  that  the  main 
altar  of  the  Basilica  covered  the  bodies  of  Saints 
Agnes  and  Emerentiana,  her  foster-sister,  and,  like 
her,  a  virgin  and  martyr.  He  presumed  that  Hono- 
rius  I.  had  deposited  the  sacred  remains  of  both 
saints  in  this  place. 

The  altar  was  lined  with  slabs  of  white  marble, 
artistically  inserted,  one  into  the  other,  and  the  upper 
part  was  covered  with  a  large  plate  of  porphyry,  which 
had  not  been  removed  since  the  seventh  century. 
The  face  of  the  altar,  on  the  side  of  the  grand  nave, 
was  remarkable  for  the  fenestella  destined  to  receive 
the  lamps  which  burned  in  honor  of  the  Saints  ;  the 
other  side,  facing  the  apsis,  was  covered  with  a  solid 
slab  of  marble ;  and  this^  Sfondrato  decided  to  re- 
move. 

After  taking  away  the  slab  of  porphyry  which 
covered  the  altar,  the  workmen  endeavored  to  re- 
move the  marble  tablet  which  was  laid  vertically  on 
the  side  of  the  heini cycle.     It  was  only  after  repeated 


304  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

efforts  that  they  succeeded  in  taking  away  enough 
cement  to  enable  them  to  discern  several  white 
marble  tablets  arranged  as  if  to  protect  some  pre- 
cious relic  under  the  altar.  Encouraged  by  the 
prospect  of  success,  the  workmen  labored  with  in- 
creasing diligence,  and  before  the  end  of  the  day, 
reached  the  tomb,  which  was  built  like  a  vault.  But 
the  marble  slabs  were  joined  with  such  strong  cement, 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  break  it.  They 
were  obliged  to  bore  several  places  with  instruments 
suited  for  the  purpose.  Through  the  apertures  thus 
made,  they  were  enabled,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
light,  to  distinguish  the  bodies  of  the  two  virgins, 
lying  side  by  side,  under  the  little  vault  which  was 
about  five  feet  long.  Night  interrupted  their  labor. 
Sfondrato  and  his  companions,  after  returning  thanks 
to  God  for  their  success,  retired,  with  the  resolution 
of  resuming  their  search  the  next  morning. 

The  following  day,  Saturday,  8th  of  October,  the 
Cardinal  returned  to  the  Basilica  with  the  same  per- 
sons. They  were  accompanied  by  Stephen  Benassai, 
his  auditor,  Father  Felix  Veronico,  Curate  of 
the  church  of  St.  Lawrence  in  Damaso,  and  a  gentle- 
man from  Modena,  named  Crigino.  By  some  fortu- 
nate circumstance,  Cardinal  Aquaviva  visited  the 
Basilica  towards  evening,  and  thus  another  impor- 
tant witness  was  added  to  the  number  already  present, 
as  if  to  render  the  Invention  of  the  sacred  bodies 
still  more  solemn. 

Intelligent  and  skilful  workmen  had  been  em- 
ployed, but  the  cement  was  so  solid  that  they  were 
obliged  to  labor  from  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  305 

until  two  o'clock  at  night,  before  they  could  open  a 
sufficiently  large  space  to  enable  them  to  reach  the 
relics. 

Finally,  all  obstacles  being  removed,  Sfondrato 
was  enabled  to  feast  his  eyes  upon  the  eagerly 
longed-for  treasure  The  martyrs  were  each  laid 
upon  a  tablet  of  white  marble,  supported  at  either 
end  upon  an  iron  bar.  These  tablets,  which  had 
been  thus  raised  from  the  ground,  to  prevent  the 
effects  of  humidity,  had  been  also  pierced  with  a 
number  of  holes,  in  order  to  give  access  to  the  air. 
Three  other  tablets,  similar  to  the  first,  were  elevated 
by  iron  bars  above  the  holy  bodies.  The  well- 
cemented  marble  vault  had  protected  this  glorious 
sepulchre  for  a  thousand  years. 

The  two  virgins  were  lying  on  their  backs,  and 
turned  towards  the  East,  according  to  the  Christian 
custom.  The  bones,  which  had  rested  directly  upon 
the  marble,  had  remained  solid  and  joined  ;  but  the 
other  bones  had  crumbled  into  dust.  Near  the 
figure  on  the  right,  they  discovered  a  small  quantity 
of  some  substance  which  they  easily  recognized  as 
the  coagulated  remains  of  the  blood  collected  by  the 
faithful.  This  enabled  them  to  distinguish  Agnes 
from  her  companion.  They  also  discovered  near  the 
two  bodies,  a  little  earth,  which  had  doubtless  been 
impregnated  with  their  blood,  and  on  this  account, 
placed  in  their  sepulchre.  Some  fragments  of  a  light 
silken  texture  were  found,  which  were  evidently 
remnants  of  their  veils. 

Although  the  night  was  already  far  advanced, 
Sfondrato    thought  it  would  be  very  imprudent  to 

2li 


S06  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

i 

leave  these  holy  relics  exposed  to  the  indiscreet 
curiosity  of  those  who  would  not  fail  to  hasten  to  the 
Basilica  the  next  morning,  to  see  the  result  of  the 
work  which  had  been  going  on  for  two  days.  He 
had  previously  ordered  a  wooden  box  lined  with 
purple  silk  embroidered  with  gold.  With  the  assist- 
ance of  his  auditor  and  Father  Felix  Veronico,  he 
deposited  in  this  box  the  bones  which  had  remained 
entire,  carefully  distinguishing  the  precious  remains 
of  the  two  martyrs.  This  operation  required  great 
precaution,  for  the  bones  would  have  crumbled  into 
dust,  if  not  very  delicately  handled.  The  box  being 
closed  and  sealed,  was  carried  to  an  inner  chapel  of 
the  monastery  adjoining  the  Basilica,  and  covered 
with  drapery.  The  dust  of  the  bones,  the  remains 
of  coagulated  blood,  and  the  earth  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  were>  carefully  collected  and  placed  in  two 
beautiful  antique  vases  which  Sfondrato  had  brought 
for  the  purpose.  One  urn  was  consecrated  to  Agnes, 
the  other  to  Emerentiana."* 

Such  were  the  circumstances  attending  the  Inven- 
tion of  the  body  of  St.  Agnes.  The  reader  will 
readily  perceive  that  in  many  points  it  differs  from 
the  discovery  of  St.  Cecilia's  tomb.  The  precious 
remains  of  the  Virgin  Agnes  had  already  partly  suf- 
fered the  common  fate  which  condemns  the  body  of 
man  to  return  to  the  dust  of  which  it  was  originally 
formed ;  the  mortal  remains  of  Cecilia  were  preserved 
intact  in  her  sepulchre.     The  virgin  who  suffered 

*  An  interesting  account  of  this  Invention  may  be  found  in 
Boldetti.  Ossereazioni.  sopra.  i.,  Cimiterj  de  Santi  Martiri,  pages 

684^686. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  307 

martyrdom  under  Alexander  Severus,  could  easily  ' 
be  recognized  by  the  description  given  in  her  Acts ; 
whereas  the  virgin,  executed  by  command  of  Dio- 
cletian, could  only  be  identified  by  means  of  antique 
documents  which  gave  reason  to  suppose  that  Pope 
Honorius  had  buried  her  under  the  altar  of  the  No- 
mentana  Basilica. 

We  do  not  wish  by  this  comparison  to  detract 
from  the  glory  of  the  illustrious  Agnes,  whose 
memory  is  dear  to  us,  and  to  whom  we  should  be 
most  happy  to  consecrate  a  biography  worthy  of  her; 
but  we  cannot  refrain  from  pointing  out  the  prefer- 
ence shown  by  heaven  for  the  daughter  of  the  Ce- 
cilii.  Did  she  not  herself  reveal  to  Paschal  that  the 
Queen  of  Heaven  watched  over  her  forgotten  tomb  ? 

And  if  we  would  discover  the  motive  of  Mary's 
vigilance  over  Cecilia's  remains,  do  we  not  find  it  in 
the  ineffable  resemblance  between  the  Spouse  of  Va- 
lerian and  the  Spouse  of  Joseph,  both  having  given 
the  world  the  sublime  example  of  virginity  in  the 
married  state?  The  body  of  Mary,  exempt  from 
original  sin,  sanctified  by  the  Divine  Maternity,  was 
assumed  into  heaven  amidst  choirs  of  angels ;  the 
body  of  Cecilia,  participating  in  our  fallen  nature, 
but  elevated  by  the  immortal  virtue  of  purity,  re- 
mained thirteen  centuries  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
without  suffering  dissolution.  Let  us  return  thanks 
to  the  heavenly  Spouse  who  protected  His  beloved 
even  in  the  tomb;  and  let  us  glorify  the  Queen  of 
Virgins  who  honored  in  Cecilia  one  of  her  own  most 
noble  prerogatives. 

Paul  V.  imitated  the  example  of  Clement  V11I., 


308  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA 

| 

and  presented  a  silver  casket  to  contain  the  relics 
of  the  glorious  martyr  whose  Invention  honored 
his  Pontificate.  Emerentiana  was  also  placed  in 
this  splendid  casket.  The  greater  part  of  the  glory 
of  this  new  solemnity,  which  was  far  inferior  to 
that  offered  Cecilia,  was  due  to  the  exertions  of  the 
pious  Cardinal,  who  seemed  to  have  received  the 
mission  of  presenting  to  the  Holy  City  her  most 
august  and  best  beloved  saints.  Sfondrato  was  not 
satisfied  with  contributing  to  Cecilia's  glory  in  the 
Basilica  where  she  reposes ;  he  desired  to  give 
the  other  sanctuaries  dedicated  to  the  illustrious 
Virgin,  proofs  of  his  pious  solicitude.  He  com- 
menced with  the  little  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  de  domo 
in  the  Campus  Martius. 

This  sanctuary  was  once  a  dependency  of  the  Ba- 
silica of  St.  Lawrence  in  Damaso ;  at  a  later  period,  it 
was  attached  to  the  Church  of  St.  Lawrence  in  Lu- 
cina,  on  account  of  its  neighborhood  to  the  latter 
Basilica.  But  the  divine  service  being  carelessly 
performed,  Sfondrato  decided  to  place  the  church 
under  the  charge  of  two  Dominican  friars,  for  whose 
maintenance  he  would  himself  provide.  After  the 
Cardinal's  death,  Paul  V.  felt  bound  in  honor  to 
carry  out  his  pious  intention  by  Apostolic  authority, 
and  therefore  issued  a  Brief,  dated  23d  of  January, 
1622,  in  which  after  commending  Sfondrato's  piety 
towards*  the  church,  he  first  suppressed  the  title  of 
Saint  Blaise  which  had  been  attached  to  this  sanc- 
tuary, and  then  taking  it  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Church  of  St.  Lawrence  in  Lucina,  subjected  it 
in  perpetuity  to  the  titulary  Cardinal  of  Saint  Cecilia. 
Finally,  he  assigned  in  favor  of  the  two  Dominican 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA  309 

friars,  a  salary  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
Eoman  crowns,  to  be  drawn  from  the  revenues  of 
the  Abbot  of  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Column,"  in  the 
diocese  of  Piacenza.*  We  have  spoken  elsewhere 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  a  Monte-Giordano  which 
also  belonged  to  the  Basilica  of  Saint  Lawrence  in 
Damaso.  This  Church  was  falling  to  ruins.  Sfon- 
drato  had  determined  to  rebuild  it  and  had  laid  the 
first  corner  stone  of  the  new  edifice  on  the  21st  of 
June,  1602.  Later,  in  1621,  after  Sfondrato's  death, 
the  Oratorian  Fathers  of  Saint  Philip  de  Neri,  wish- 
ing to  enlarge  their  house  of  Vellicella,  earnestly 
begged  Gregory  XV.  to  permit  them  to  demolish 
this  church  which  interfered  with  their  architect's 
plans.  The  Pontiff  granted  the  request  on  condition 
that  the  principal  altar  of  the  celebrated  chapel, 
called  the  Oratory,  which  was  to  be  built  on  the  site 
of  the  church,  should  be  dedicated  to  St.  Cecilia  con- 
jointly with  St.  Philip  Neri;  and  that  the  altar 
piece  should  represent  these  two  saints,  the  illus- 
trious Virgin  being  on  the  right. f  This  condition 
was  faithfully  complied  with.-  The  picture  was 
painted  by  Vanni.  In  the  upper  part,  he  has  repre- 
sented the  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Every  year  on  the  22d  of  November,  the  festival  of 
St.  Cecilia  is  celebrated  as  a  patronal  feast,  and  thus 
the  beautiful  thought  of  Sfondrato  has  been  perpetu- 
ated to  our  day.  The  pious  Cardinal  who  so  zealously 
honored  the  memory  of  the  Spouse  of  Christ,  was  no 
less  devoted  to  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  We  will 
illustrate  this  by  a  single  incident. 

*  Biblioth.  Vaticane.  MSS.  do  Galetti.  Santa  Cecilia. 
\  Bref  Cum  ad  uberes,  du  7  des  Kalondos  do  Novombro. 


310  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Having  been  promoted  by  Paul  V.,  to  the  Legation 
of  Bologna,  his  first  thought  was  to  visit  and  vener- 
ate the  house  of  Loretto.  In  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
respectful  love  for  the  Virgin,  he  mounted  to  the 
ebony  statue  which  represents  the  Queen  of  this 
Holy  House,  and  taking  from  his  finger  a  magnifi- 
cent diamond  ring,  worth  five  hundred  gold  crowns, 
he  placed  it  on  the  finger  of  the  miraculous  image. 
In  returning  to  Eome,  he  passed  by  Loretto,  and 
hung  round  the  neck  of  the  Madonna,  a  gold  cross 
set  with  eight  superb  emeralds.  He  also  desired  to 
offer  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  divine  Infant  whom  the 
Blessed  Mother  holds  in  her  arms  Before  starting 
for  his  legation,  he  presented  the  Son  with  a  diamond 
ring  far  surpassing  the  one  he  had  offered  to  the 
Mother.  He  himself  placed  it  upon  the  iinger  of  the 
Holy  child,  and  until  the  spoliation  of  the  sanctuary 
of  Loretto  in  1797,  this  diamond  by  its  wonderful 
brilliancy  attracted  the  admiration  of  all  the  pilgrims 
who  visited  the  shrine.* 

In  1607,  Sfondrato  was  called  to  the  Bishopric  of 
Cremona,  in  the  province  of  Milan,  which  had  lately 
lost  its  great  Archbishop  St.  Charles.  The  illus- 
trious Cardinal  Frederick  Borromeo,  nephew  of  the 
holy  Archbishop,  was  faithfully  imitating  his  uncle's 
virtues  in  the  See  of  St.  Ambrose.  Sfondrato's  arrival 
was  a  great  consolation  to  Frederick,  as  they  had  both 
chosen  for  their  model  the  celebrated  Pontiff  whose 
recent  loss  still  deeply  grieved  the  Church.  Sfon- 
drato, to  whom  the  city  of  Eome  owes  the  beautiful 

*  Ciacconius   Vitce  Romanorum  Pontijicum  at  S.  R.  E.  Cardie 
nalium.  Tome  iv.  p.  226. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  311 

Church  of  St.  Charles  al  Corso,  obtained  from  Fred- 
erick for  this  sanctuary  the  heart  of  the  invinci- 
ble reformer  of  discipline  and  of  Christian  morals.  In 
the  year  1611,  our  pious  Cardinal  was  recalled  to 
Rome.  Paul  V  elevated  him  to  the  Bishopric  of 
Albano,  and  Sfondrato  was  obliged  to  leave  his  See  of 
Cremona  where  his  memory  is  still  gratefully  pre- 
served. As  he  had  been  appointed  Titulary  of  one 
of  the  Suburbicarian  Sees,  he  could  no  longer,  ac- 
cording to  the  ordinary  rule,  retain  the  simply  Pres- 
byterial  Church  of  St.  Cecilia ;  but  Sfondrato  could 
not  think  of  confiding  to  another,  the  precious  deposit 
which  the  Virgin  herself  had  given  him. 

He  therefore  solicited  and  obtained  from  Paul  V., 
as  a  reward  for  his  generosity  towards  the  trans-Ti- 
berian  Basilica,  the  favor  of  retaining  it,  in  commen- 
dam  together  with  the  Bishopric  which  he  had  been 
forced  to  except. 

His  Administration  of  the  Church  of  Albano  was 
of 'short  duration;  but  it  was  marked  by  his  inex- 
haustible charity  to  the  poor.  Each  year,  he  dis- 
tributed among  them  the  whole  of  his  Episcopal 
revenue,  without  diminishing  the  alms  he  continued 
to  bestow  in  Rome,  whither  the  functions  of  his  emi- 
nent dignity  frequently  called  him.* 

In  1614,  the  Roman  Ritual,  published  by  Paul  V., 
completed  the  series  of  liturgical  books,  for  the  use 
of  the  Universal  Church.  The  publication  of  this 
work  had  been  left  by  the  Council  of  Trent  to  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff. 

*  Ciacconius  Vita  Romanorum  Pont\ficum  el  S»  R.  E*  Canli- 
nulium.  Tome  iv.  page  227. 


312  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

Catholicity  owes  it  to  Sfondrato's  exertions.  He 
induced  Paul  V.,  to  undertake  the  compilation  of  this 
manual  for  the  use  of  the  priests  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Sacraments.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
assiduous  members  of  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  Pope  to  prepare  this  important  work;  and  he 
superintended  its  compilation  with  untiring  solicitude. 

Sfondrato*  died  at  Tivoli,  on  the  14th  of  February, 
1618,  in  the  fifty  seventh  year  of  his  age.  The  sad 
news  reached  the  nuns  of  Santa  Cecilia  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  following  day.  Nothing  can  express  their 
grief  on  hearing  of  this  unexpected  death  ;  we  find  in 
the  Chronicle  of  the  Monastery  :  "  That  several  of  the 
Sisters  fainted,  and  that  the  dinner  of  that  day  was 
untouched."! 

Ever  constant  in  his  love  for  St.  Cecilia,  Sfondrato 
made  his  will  in  favor  of  her  Basilica  ;  he  had  for 
eighteen  years  renounced  his  own  name,  and  assumed 
that  of  Cardinal  of  St.  Cecilia.^ 

*  Ciacconius  Vitae  Romanorum  Pontificum  et  S.  R.  E.  Cardi- 
naliuin.  Tome  iv.  page  226.  The  Vatican  Library  is  indebted  to 
Sfondrato's  generosity'for  the  valuable  Greek  Menology,  attri- 
buted to  the  Emperor  Basil.  It  was  published  in  1727,  with 
Byzantine  illustrations,  at  the  expense  of  Cardinal  Annibal 
Albani.  It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of  the 
Melchite  Liturgy. 

f  Chroniche  del  venerabile  monasteri  do  Santa  Cecilia. 

J  In  the  correspondence  of  Cardinal  d'Ossat,  we  find  two  letters 
which  Sfondrato  had  addressed  through  this  ambassador  to  Henry 
IV.,  and  to  Marie  de  Medicis,  to  obtain  from  France  some  reli«s 
for  the  Basilica.  D'Ossat,  in  sending  these  letters,  advised  the 
king  to  address  his  reply  to  the  Cardinal  of  St.  Cecilia,  because, 
he  adds,  he  wishes  to  be  called  by  this  title  and  not  by  his 
surname!  (Letters  du  Cardinal  d'Ossat,  26  Aont  1602,  tome  iv. 
page  304).     We  find  the  same  thing  in  a  public  document  rela- 


LIFE   OF   SAIKT   CECILIA.  313 

Some  extracts  from  the  will  of  this  Cardinal,  will 
probably,  interest  our  readers,  as  his  name  will 
always  be  united  with  that  of  St.  Cecilia  in  the 
annals  of  Christianity. 

"In  the  first  place,"  says  Paul  Emilius  Sfondrato. 
"  I  recommend  my  soul  with  perfect  submission  to  my 
gracious  Eedeemer,  Jesus  Christ ;  to  his  most  Holy 
and  ever  Blessed  Mother,  the  most  pure  Virgin  Mary, 
the  true  advocate  of  sinners ;  to  the  glorious  Apostles 
Peter  and  Paul ;  to  my  glorious  and  most  faithful 
protectress,  St.  Cecilia;  to  St.  Agnes,  my  special 
advocate ;  to  St.  Mary  Magdalen,  St.  Thecla,  St. 
Joseph,  Sts.  Lucius,  Urban,  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and 
Maximus,  and  all  the  Saints  towards  whom  I  have 
any  special  devotion,  or  who  have  been  my  protec- 
tors; that  I  may  be  found  worthy  of  the  Divine 
Mercy,  and  may  be  admitted  into  their  society  for- 
ever. I  wish  my  body  to  be  buried  in  the  Church 
of  my  beloved  St.  Cecilia,  in  the  tomb  I  have  caused 
to  be  made  under  the  Confession  before  the  altar  of 
the  Saint." 

Then  follow  the  Cardinal's  directions  relative  to 
the  religious  services,  and  the  alms  to  be  distributed 
on  the  day  of  his  funeral.  After  requesting  the  most 
simple  obsequies,  with  merely  twelve  torches,  he  adds : 

ting  to  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  in  tho  rebuilding  of  St. 
Cecilia's  Church,  a  Monto  Giordano.  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  the  verbal  process  of  this  ceremony  :  Ob  idqne  Cardinalia 
Sanctae  Ca3cilia),  relicta  propria  bus  nobilissima  «'t  antiquiasims 
familial denominatione,  nuncupari  eta ppeUarl  volnit,  amoreatque 
devotionis  zelo  erga  eamdem  Beatam  CooUiam  ftagrana  atque 

incensus.  (MSS.  du  Vatican,  (Jalletti.)  BfondratO  in  this 
respect  followed  the  example  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  who 
always  signed  himself  Cardinal  of  St.  IVaxrdcs,  and  iu'\vr  Car- 
dinal Borromeo. 


314  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

" 1  appoint  as  my  sole  legatee,  the  Church  of  St.  Ceci- 
lia, in  the  Trastevere,  where  her  holy  body  reposes." 
The  legacy  is  to  be  employed  in  the  following  manner. 
First  of  all,  ninety  lamps  are  to  be  kept  burning  day 
and  night,  and  fed  with  the  purest  oil.  Four  chap- 
lains, one  of  whom  is  to  have  the  title  of  guardian  of 
St.  Cecilia's  body,  are  to  officiate  in  the  Basilica. 
They  are  to  visit  the  chapel  daily  and  are  to  be 
assisted  by  two  clerks.  Moreover,  there  is  to  be  a 
layman  charged  with  the  care  of  the  bronzes  and 
marble  of  the  Confession,  as  well  as  with  the  feeding 
and  lighting  of  the  lamps.  The  chaplains,  clerks, 
and  laymen,  are  forbidden  to  enter  into  the  service 
of  any  other  person,  even  though  he  be  a  Cardinal. 

Sfondrato  bequeathed  to  his  Basilica  all  the  relics 
he  had  collected  in  its  treasury.  The  smallest  por- 
tion of  these  can  never  be  removed,  and  each  Abbess, 
on  entering  upon  her  office,  is  obliged  to  take  an 
oath  faithfully  to  observe  these  directions.  He  also 
requested  that  there  should  be  three  keys  to  the 
treasury,  one  of  which  should  be  entrusted  to  the 
Abbess,  the  second  to  the  Prioress,  and  the  third  to 
the  Mistress  of  Novices. 

The  Cardinal  also  made  other  legacies  to  different 
persons  or  establishments.  To  the  duke,  his  brother, 
his  patrimonial  estates ;  to  his  cathedral  church  of 
Albano,  all  his  pontifical  ornaments  and  all  his  sil- 
ver church  vessels;  to  the  Madonna  of  Loretto,  a 
gold  heart  worth  one  hundred  crowns,  and  "  I  wish," 
he  adds,  "  that  it  be  suspended  round  her  neck  in 
memory  of  the  love  I  have  desired  to  feel  for  her." 
To  this  donation,  the  Cardinal  adds  the  superb  ring 


LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA.  315 

he  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing,  and  which  was  re- 
markable for  a  very  valuable  cameo. 

The  codicil  contains  the  following  legacies. 

To  his  sister  Angelica  Agatha,  a  ring  containing 
relics  of  St.  Cecilia. 

To  the  Duke  Hercules,  his  brother,  Vanni's  pic- 
ture of  St.  Cecilia  expiring.  This  is  a  different  one 
from  that  placed  by  the  Cardinal  in  the  Crypt  of  the 
Basilica,  upon  the  altar  of  the  holy  martyr. 

To  his  second  brother,  the  marquis,  a  painting  of 
St.  Agnes. 

To  Cardinal  Farn&se,  his  large  painting  of  St. 
Peter  weeping  over  his  sin. 

To  Cardinal  Giustiniani,  the  Ecce  Homo  of  Sodomi. 

To  the  Convent  of  The  Minerva,  a  portrait  of  St. 
Thomas,  life  size.  To  the  professed  house  of  the 
Gesu,  the  painting  in  which  the  Cardinal  is  repre- 
sented kneeling  before  St.  Cecilia  and  the  other 
saints  to  whom  he  had  a  special  devotion. 

To  the  barefoot  Carmelites,  an  oval  picture  of  the 
Madonna. 

After  this  enumeration,  Sfondrato  adds,  "I  be- 
queath the  remainder  to  the  Saint."  Then  he  con- 
cludes with  the  following  directions:  "For  the 
honor  and  glory  of  my  dear  Saint  Agnes  and  of  her 
holy  body,  I  leave  two  hundred  and  fifty  measures 
(boccali)  of  oil  annually,  to  feed  ten  lamps  which  arc 
to  burn  night  and  day,  and  I  charge  the  Abbess  of 
St.  Cecilia  with  the  execution  of  this  bequest;' 

This  will,  an  everlasting  memorial  of  the  Car 
dmal's  piety,  bears  the  date  of  the  6th  of  August, 
1615. 


316  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

Sfondrato's  body  was  carried  from  Tivoli  to  the. 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia  and  placed  near  the  Com- 
munion rail,  so  that  the  sisters  might  contemplate 
the  mortal  remains  of  him  who  had  been  their  pro- 
tector and  their  father.  It  was  not  deemed  necessary 
to  conform  to  the  humble  Cardinal's  request  re- 
specting his  obsequies.  The  Abbess  and  the  reli- 
gious of  St.  Cecilia  desired  that  they  should  be 
celebrated  with  all  possible  pomp  and  solemnity. 

So  great  a  man  could  only  be  buried  at  the  feet  of 
the  Virgin  whom  he  had  so  tenderly  loved.  He  had 
already  caused  his  tomb  to  be  prepared  in  the  crypt 
where  she  reposes,  and  had  had  engraved  upon  a 
slab  of  porphyry  the  inscription  he  had  composed  as 
his  last  homage  to  the  martyr.  We  have  frequently, 
by  the  light  of  torches,  read  it  in  this  gloomy  vault, 
near  Cecilia's  body,  and  we  have  envied  the  happi- 
ness of  him  whose  mortal  remains  it  covers,  and  who 
sleeps,  humbly  buried  under  a  pavement  never  trod- 
den by  the  footsteps  of  the  profane.  It  is  thus  con- 
ceived : 

PALVS   TITVLI    S.    C-flECILLZB    S.    R.    E.    PRESB. 

CARD.    SFONDRATVS    MISERRIMVS   PECCATOR 

ATQUE   EIUSDEM   VIRGINIS   HVMUJS   SERVVS 

HIC   AD   EIVS   PEDES    HVMILITER   REQVIESCIT. 

VIXIT   ANNOS   LVII.    MENSES   X.    DIES   XXV. 

OBIIT   ANNO   MDCXVIII.    MENSE   FEBR.    DIE   XIV. 

ORATE   DEVM    PRO   EO.* 

Paul  Sfondrato,  a  Cardinal  Priest  of  the  Holy  Roman  Church, 
a  Titulary  of  St.  Cecilia,  a  poor  sinner,  and  an  humble  servant 
of  this  holy  Virgin,  here  lies  humbly  at  her  feet.  He  lived 
fifty-seven  years,  ten  months,  and  tweuty-five  days,  and  died  on 
the  14th  of  February,  1626.     Pray  to  God  for  him. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  317 

This  touching  and  simple  epitaph,  concealed  from 
every  eye  in  the  depths  of  a  crypt,  was  not  sufficient 
to  record  the  glory  and  merits  of  Sfondrato.  The 
executors  of  his  will  erected  a  magnificent  cenotaph 
to  the  Cardinal,  under  the  right  lateral  nave,  near 
the  sacristy,  at  the  spot  where  the  Ponziani  chapel  for- 
merly opened  into  the  Basilica.  On  this  monument  is 
placed  the  bust  of  the  Cardinal ;  the  hands  are  joined, 
and  the  mozetta  is  of  colored  marble.  On  the  right, 
is  a  statue  of  St.  Cecilia,  holding  in  her  hand  a  minia- 
ture organ  ;  on  the  left,  one  of  St.  Agnes  with  a 
lamb.  A  bass-relief  on  the  upper  part  of  the  monu- 
ment, represents  Sfondrato  presenting  St.  Cecilia's 
body  to  Clement  VIII.  These  details  are  unfortu- 
nately very  badly  executed.  The  cenotaph  is  com- 
pleted by  an  inscription  recording  the  services  ren- 
dered by  Cardinal  Paul  Emilius  Sfondrato  to  the 
Church  and  to  St.  Cecilia. 

DEO.    TRINO.    VNI. 

PAVLO.  SFONDRATO.   CARD.  EPISC.  ALBAN. 

GREG.  XIV.  FR.  FIL.  BONONIEN.  LEGATO. 

SIGNATVR^S.  GRATLE.  PRJ3FECTO. 

CREMONEN.  PR.ESVLI.   PIETATE.  IN  DEVM. 

DIVOSQVE.   ANIMARVM.   STVDIO. 

CHARITATE.    IN.  PAVPERES. 

PLANE.  MEMORANDO. 

QVOD.  SANCTIS.  OECILIJE.   CORPVS. 

INSIGNI.   SEPVLCRO.   LVMINIBUS.   AD. 

CENTVM.  PERPETVO.  COLLVCENTIBVS. 

TERRESTRI  PROPE  CGELO.  DECORA VIT. 

TEMPLUM  EXORNATVM. 
SACERDOTIBVS.  M1NISTRIS.  PRETIOSIS. 

27 


318  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

VASIS.  ET.  KELIQUIIS  AVCTVM. 

H.EREDEM  EX. 

ASSE.   RELIQVIT. 

QVODQVE.  OMNEM.  EIVSMODI.  RERVM. 

MEMORIAM.  VIVENS.    REPVLIT. 

DEMORTVO.  ANNO  ^TATIS.  LVII.  SAL. 

MDCXVIII. 

ORDOARDVS.  CARD.  FARNESIVS.  ET. 

AVGVSTINVS.   PACCINELLIVS.    SENEN. 

TESTAMENTARII.    EXECVTORES. 

P.   P.* 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV. 

FACTS  RELATING  TO  ST.  CECILIA  AND  HER  BASILICA  THROUGHOUT 
THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.  THE  JANSENISTIC  SCHOOL  ATTACKS 
THE   ACTS   OF    THE   HOLY   MARTYR. 

We  are  now  near  the  close  of  our  history.  The 
Jansenists,  ever  eager  to  pluck  from  the  brow  of  the 

*  To  the  one  God  in  three  Divine  Persons.  To  the  memory 
of  Paul  Sfondrato,  Cardinal  Bishop  of  Albano,  nephew  of  Gregory 
XIV.,  Legate  of  Bologna,  Bishop  of  Cremona,  Praefect  of  the 
Sign  of  Grace,  worthy  of  all  commendation  for  his  piety  towards 
God  and  the  Saints,  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  his 
charity  towards  the  poor.  Through  his  exertions  the  body  of 
St.  Cecilia  was  honored  with  a  magnificent  sepulture;  one  hun- 
dred lamps  burn  night  and  day  before  her  tomb,  presenting  a 
faint  image  of  the  splendor  which  surrounds  her  in  heaven.  He 
named  this  temple,  embellished  through  his  largesses,  heir  of 
all  his  fortune,  endowed  its  priests  and  ministers,  and  enriched 
it  with  valuable  vases  and  holy  relics.  During  his  lifetime,  he 
never  permitted  any  one  to  speak  in  his  presence,  of  the  monu- 
ments of  his  piety.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven,  in  the 
year  of  salvation,  1618.  Odoard,  Cardinal  Farnese,  and  Augus- 
tin  Paccinelli,  of  Sienna,  his  executors,  have  erected  this  monu- 
ment.. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  319 

Church,  the  ornaments  with  which  it  has  pleased  her 
divine  Spouse  to  adorn  her,  seem  to  have  taken 
pleasure  in  casting  ridicule  and  contempt  upon  many 
of  the  touching  traditions  which  have  come  down  to 
us  from  the  earliest  ages.  And,  indeed,  they  have 
manifested  as  much  earnestness  in  modifying  history 
to  suit  their  views  as  in  reforming  dogmas  and  Evan- 
gelical morals  according  to  their  own  plans. 

Their  efforts  have  been  fruitless.  Jansenism  has 
been  supplanted  by  Voltarian  philosophy,  which,  in 
its  turn,  is  gradually  falling  into  decay,  and  upon 
its  ruin  is  rising  a  new  and  Catholic  generation, 
clinging  to  the  traditions  of  the  early  Church,  sym- 
pathizing with  it  in  faith  and  feeling,  and  trampling 
under  foot  the  prejudices  which  a  succession  of  dis- 
astrous circumstances  seemed  to  have  rendered  na- 
tional. Truly,  this  generation  exhibits  a  wonderful 
example  of  the  unerring  instinct  of  faith  in  matters 
regarding  God  and  His  Saints!  Every  thing  is  against 
us:  Ecclesiastical  History,  the  Lives  of  the  Saints, 
the  profound  and  systematic  oblivion  in  which  ma- 
liciously disposed  persons  have  sought  to  bury  a 
thousand  traditions  which  nourished  the  faith  of  our 
fathers,  and  gave  rise  to  the  miracles  of  former  ages. 

It  is  alarming  even  to  glance  at  the  formidable 
task  awaiting  Catholic  criticism;  yet  the  church  of 
France  imperatively  calls  for  the  vindication  of  the 
authenticity  of  many  grave  and  valuable  documents, 

many  historical  details  and  Acts  of  the  Saints,  cruelly 

compromised  in  this  conspiracy  against  truth.  Suph 
a  task,  considered  in  its  (nil  extent,  is  far  beyond  our 
power  ;  we  liave  merely  touched  upon  a  Bingle  point. 

May  the  august  Virgin  Cecilia  pardon  us  for  having 


320  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

defended  her  so  feebly ;  He,  who  has  already  indem- 
nified her  for  the  forgetf illness  of  mankind,  will,  in 
his  own  good  time,  raise  up  a  powerful  avenger  of 
her  cause. 

The  renown  of  the  numerous  miracles  wrought  in 
the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica^  during  the  latter  part  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  was  soon  widely  circulated, 
not  only  throughout  France,  but  through  the  whole 
of  Christendom,  and  resulted  in  the  publication  of 
several  religious  and  literary  works.  We  will  cite 
among  others  a  musical  drama,  entitled:  The  Ceci- 
lian,  or  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Cecilia,  published  in 
Paris  by  Nicholas  Soret,  in  1606.  The  choruses 
were  set  to  music  by  Abraham  Blondet.  In  1617, 
de  Welles  published  at  Arras,  a  French  translation 
of  a  volume  edited  in  Rome  by  Bosio,  containing 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  and  an  account  of  the  two 
Inventions  of  the  martyr's  body.  De  Welles  enti- 
tled his  translation  :  Chastity  victorious  in  the  admi- 
rable conversion  of  St.  Valerian  husband  of  St.  Cecilia, 
Tiburtius,  Maximus,  and  others*.  Later  a  member 
of  the  Oratory  in  France,  Nicholas  de  Bralion,  who 
resided  at  Rome  from  1625  to  1640,  and  who  has  left 
an  interesting  work  upon  the  churches  of  this  capital 
of  the  Christian  world,  f  dedicated  a  volume  to  the 
glory  of  our  holy  Martyr  in  her  tomb.  He  did  not 
publish  it  until  1688,  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
under  the  title  of:  The  admirable  Sepulture  of  St. 
Cecilia  in  her  Church  in  Rome.  Even  at  this  early 
period,  hagiography  was  preparing  the  most  magnifi- 

*  One  vol.  in  12°. 

t  Curiositie  de  Tune  et  de  Tautre   Rome,  1655-1659.     Three 
vols,  iu  8^. 


LIFE  OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  321 

cent  tribute  which  the  genius  of  Catholicity  had  ever 
dedicated  to  the  honor  of  the  Saints.  The  immense  and 
erudite  collection  of  the  Acts  of  the  Saints,  commenced 
in  1643,  at  Anvers  by  Bollandus,  successfully  pursued 
its  course ;  a  new  volume  being  annually  published, 
worthy  of  those  which  had  preceded  it  both  in  the 
importance  of  the  matter  and  the  erudition  of  the 
commentaries  and  notes.  The  work  was  arranged 
according  to  the  plan  of  the  "  Ecclesiastical  Cycle 
and  the  Martyrologies,"  but  owing  to  many  interrup- 
tions it  is  unfortunately  still  incomplete.  It  has 
been  resumed  in  later  years,  much  to  the  satifaction 
of  all  Catholic  hearts;  but  the  Acts  of  the  18th  of 
October,  upon  this  immense  Calendar,  will  not  be 
published  for  several  years.  It  is  more  than  prob- 
able that  the  present  century  will  draw  near  to  a 
close  before  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  will  be  given  to 
the  public. 

In  1648,  a  new  triumph  was  awarded  to  St.  Cecilia, 
at  the  Capitol  in  Eome.    The  chapel  of  this  magnifi- 
cent palace  was  newly  decorated,  and  the  daughter 
of  the  Cecilii,  as  a  Roman  citizen  and   matron,  was 
honored  with  a  painting  and  accompanying  inscrip- 
tion in  this  sanctuary.*     This  great  Virgin  is  repre- 
sented   as   the   patroness  of  music :  she   is   seated, 
playing  a  harpsicord.      The  painting  is  by  Roma- 
nelli — the  inscription  as  follows  : 
S.  CAECILIAB 
VIRGINI    ET    MARTYRI 
S.  P.  Q.  R. 
*  MDCXLVIII. 

*  Three  other  personages,  all  Roman  citizens,  have  been 
honored  in  this  chapel  of  the  Capitol.  St.  luistacc,  J^t.  Alexis, 
and  Blessed  Louise  Albertoni. 


322  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

The  idea  of  thus  restoring  the  name  and  memory 
of  Cecilia,  in  the  very  place  where  her  ancestor  Caia 
Cecili  had  for  so  many  years  been  honored  with  a 
statue,  is  deeply  touching  and  admirably  blends 
Pagan  and  Christian  Eome  in  the  person  of  our 
heroine.  A  Christian  Cecilia  assuming  in  the  Capi- 
tol the  place  of  the  Pagan  Caia  proves  alike  the 
triumph  of  Christianity  and  the  eternity  of  Eome. 

Before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
most  eminent  hagiographers  had  published  their 
opinion  respecting  these  Acts,  against  which  so  vio- 
lent a  tempest  was  about  to  break  forth.  Hensche- 
nius  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  this  venerable 
document,  in  commenting  upon  the  14th  of  April, 
dedicated  to  Sts.  Tiburtius,  Valerian  and  Maximus.* 

The  opinion  of  a  man  so  well  versed  in  the  diffi- 
cult art  of  comparing  documents  and  deciding  their 
respective  merits,  was  certainly  a  powerful  counter- 
poise to  the  arguments  adduced  by  St.  Cecilia's  ene- 
mies ;  but  the  truth  of  her  history  was  conclusively 
established  in  1680,  when  Papebroke,  who  had 
shared  the  labors  of  Henschenius,  announced  to  the 
public  his  decision  in  favor  of  her  Acts.  In  the 
very  beginning  of  the  first  volume  of  the  Acts  of 
the  Saints  for  the  month  of  May,  this  critic  who  cer- 
tainly cannot  be  accused  of  credulity,  declared  the 

*  Heec  pervetusta  homm  sanctorum  solemnis  veneratio,  pluri- 
mum  crevit  ex  certissima  virtutum  ac  martyrii  notitia,  quam 
dabant  antiqua  S.  Caeciliae  Acta  quse  tunc  temporis  omnium 
manibus  terebantur,  et  hactenus  in  prsecipuis  et  perantiquis 
membranis  conservantur.    Acta  SS.  Aprilis,  Tome  ii.  page  203. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  323 

Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  most  ancient  and  true.*  Divine 
Providence  doubtless  permitted  this  fearless  testi- 
mony as  a  counterpoise  to  the  opinion  of  certain 
influential  writers  who  would  have  consigned  to 
oblivion  one  of  the  most  precious  recitals  of  the 
primitive  Church. 

The  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  as  the  unprejudiced 
reader  must  have  already  perceived,  are  not  wanting 
in  intrinsic-  evidence  of  their  own  truth ;  still,  Ave 
are  no  less  happy  to  record  in  their  favor  the  opin- 
ion of  so  competent  a  judge,  a  man  who  was  cen- 
sured throughout  Europe  for  the  severity  of  his 
criticism. 

It  is  something  to  be  able  to  prove  that  the  very 
century  which  beheld  the  attack,  saw  also  the  most 
learned  and  reliable  men  coming  forward  to  repress 
the  audacity  of  a  clique  which  felt  itself  called  to 
exercise  a  lasting  influence  over  the  minds  of  men. 
The  greater  the  number  of  Saints7  lives  which  Pape- 
broke  has  rejected,  as  doubtful  or  apocryphal,  the 
stronger  the  weight  of  his  authority  in  support  of 
those  which  he  has  deemed  it  his  duty  to  admft. 

The  impulse  given  to  hagiography  by  the  Bollan- 
dists,  first  called  forth  the  Acta  Sanctorum  Ordinis 
sancti  Benedlcti  published  by  Dom  Mabillon,  and 
then  inspired  Dom  Euinart  with  the  idea  of  his 
Acta  primorum  Martyrum  slncera  et  selecta.  This 
precious    collection,    a   treasure    of    erudition    and 

*  Antiquissima  et  sincerissima  habeiitiir  hujtLS  Ballots  Virgi- 
nia Acta,  quorum  notitia  videtur  admodum  Bero  perlata  ad 
Grsecos,  etc.     EphemerideM  Grcecorum  tt  Mo8coruM}  page  51. 


324  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

criticism,  appeared  in  1689.  The  author's  plan  was 
to  make  a  collection  of  what  seemed  to  him  the 
most  authentic  Acts  of  the  Martyrs  in  order  to  set 
forth  in  its  strongest  light,  the  powerful  argument 
which  the  Church  derives  from  the  courageous  con- 
fession of  those  heroes  of  the  Faith.  The  Acts  of 
St.  Cecilia  are  not  in  this  collection,  for  as  the  school 
of  Port  Eoyal  was  then  beginning  to  prepare  its 
decrees  of  proscription  against  an  innumerable  num- 
ber of  christian  monuments,  Dom  Euinart  was 
unwilling  to  insert  in  his  book  any  Acts  that  were 
not  unhesitatingly  admitted  by  men  whose  influence 
was  already  so  strikingly  felt.  However,  he  thought 
himself  bound  to  declare  in  the  Preface  that  he  was 
far  from  pretending  that  his  collection  contained  all 
the  genuine  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  or  from  branding 
as  apocryphal  those  which  he  had  not  thought  proper 
to  insert  ;*  and  in  the  body  of  the  work  he  qualifies 
as  excellent  (egregia)  the  Acts  of  St.  Sebastian,  which 
he  had  not  dared  to  insert,  on  account  of  some 
trifling  difficulties  presented  by  them.  This  system 
offers  serious  inconveniences  and  if  applied  to  his- 
torical records  in  general,  would  soon  give  birth  to 

*  Porro  etsi  nihil  oniiserira,  ut  quantum  in  me  fuit,  haec  Ac- 
torum  collectio  accurata  atque  numeris  omnibus  absoluta  redde- 
retur  :  non  ita  tamen  rem  me  confeeisse  existimo,  ut  nulla  peni- 
tus,  prseter  ea  quae  hie  exhibemus  sincera  Martyrum  Acta 
reperiri  posse  existimem.  Nee  etiam  animus  est,  ea  omnia  inter 
spuria  rejicere  quae  hie  non  habentur ;  quin  et  si  aliquis  non- 
nulla  ex  iis  qua?  a  me  forte  rejecta  sunt  sincera  judicaverit,  non 
refragabor,  modo  id  argumentis  certis  probare  queat :  alias  unus- 
quisque  hi  suo  sensu  abundet.  Acta  sincera  Martyrum  :  Prsefatio. 
page  12. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  325 

the  most  ridiculous  and  dangerous  pyrrhonism. 
Among  the  best  historians  of  ancient  or  even  modern 
times,  are  there  many  whose  narrations  may  not  be 
contradicted  in  some  particulars,  and  is  it  not  the 
province  of  sound  criticism  to  throw  light  upon 
doubtful  statements,  to  explain  inconsistencies,  and 
in  a  word,  to  clear  away  the  clouds  which,  through 
some  fault,  voluntary  or  involuntary,  of  the  narrator, 
have  veiled  the  truth?  What  would  become  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  past,  if  it  were  permitted  to  reject 
the  testimony  of  an  author  whose  honesty  is  un- 
doubted, simply  because  his  writings  exhibit  traces 
of  haste  and  inaccuracy  ? 

The  favor  with  which  Dom  Kuinart's  collection 
was  received,  and  the  esteem  in  which  it  is  still  held, 
enables  us  to  draw  from  it  rules  of  criticism  which 
the  severest  critic  must  admit.  The  facts  related  in 
these  Acts,  which  he  declares  to  be  absolutely 
unquestionable,  are  so  many  terms  of  comparison, 
whose  value  cannot  be  disputed,  and  we  shall  soon 
see  that  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  when  compared  with 
those  guaranteed  as  true  by  Dom  Euinart,  come  off 
triumphant  from  the  trial. 

We  must  also  remember,  that  two  thirds  of  the 
Acts  published  by  Dom  Kuinart  were  compiled 
after  the  age  of  Persecutions,  from  ancient  memoirs 
long  since  lost.  He  even  admits  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cyr  and  St.  Julitte,  although  ho  acknowledges  that 
they  were  not  compiled  before  the  reign  of  Justinian.11 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  how  strongly  the  example 

*  Acta  Martyrum  Bincera  et  Beleota,  page  r>20. 


326  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

thus  given  by  the  severe  Benedictine,  tends  to  con- 
firm the  confidence  of  the  Church  in  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia,  although  we  no  longer  possess  the  primitive 
Acts  compiled  by  the  Notaries  of  Eome,  nor  other 
documents  from  which  the  compiler  of  the  fifth 
century  framed  his  narrative.  But  we  will  digress 
for  a  moment  from  the  field  of  controversy,  to 
congratulate  the  Eoman  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia  upon 
an  event  which  towards  the  end  of  the  seventeenth 
century  re-awakened  its  dearest  and  most  brilliant 
reminiscences. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  1695,  Innocent  XII., 
elevated  to  the  honors  of  the  purple  Celestin  Sfon- 
drato,  Abbot  of  St.  Gall.  Celestin,  who  was  born  in 
1644,  was  a  nephew  of  Paul  Emilius,  and  from  his 
youth  had  aspired  to  the  cloistered  life.  He  pro- 
nounced his  vows  according  to  the  Benedictine  Eule, 
in  this  illustrious  Abbey,  Avhere  he  consecrated  his 
leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  sacred  science,  and' 
cultivated  it  with  remarkable  success.  The  heart  of 
the  young  monk  was  inflamed  with  such  ardent  zeal 
for  the  liberty  of  the  Church,  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  generous  defenders  of  her  independence  against 
the  eneroachments  of  Louis  XIV.  And  this,  at  a 
time  when  Catholic  Europe  was  looking  on  these 
encroachments  in  silence. 

Celestin  had  been  sent  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Peter, 
in  Saltzburg,  to  fill  the  chair  of  canonical  law  in  the 
University  of  that  city,  when  the  assembly  of  the 
French  Clergy,  in  1682,  published  the  famous 
Declaration  respecting  the  rights  of  the  Sovereign 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  327 

Pontiff  in  the  constitution  of  the  Church.  A  council 
of  Bishops  in  Hungary,  and  several  universities  in 
Spain  declaimed  against  the  outrage  thus  offered  in 
France  to  apostolic  power.  The  University  of  Saltz- 
burg  likewise  published  its  disapproval  of  the  four 
propositions  of  the  Parisian  Assembly.  This  cou- 
rageous act  was  principally  due  to  the  influence  of 
Sfondrato. 

But  he  did  not  limit  his  zeal  to  the  condemnation 
of  novelties,  of  which  he  could  easily  foresee  the 
disastrous  influence  upon  religious  and  political 
society.  He  boldly  entered  the  arena  and  whilst 
awaiting  the  "  Defence  of  the  Declaration,"  which 
Louis  XIV.,  exacted  from,  the  Bishop  of  Meaux,  he 
avenged  the  liberty  of  the  church  in  an  excellent 
Treatise  upon  the  Regale,  against  which  this  fatal 
storm  had  been  directed;*  in  his  Sacerdoce  Royal, 
he  elevated  the  apostolic  monarchy,  which  had  been 
degraded  through  the  interested  policy  of  several 
court  prelates  ;f  he  proved  the  novelty  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  French  Clergy  in  a  learned  work  against 
Mainbourg  in  which  he  brought  forward  the  testi- 
mony and  authority  of  ancient  French  authors  \%  and 
finally,  when  the  scandalous  conduct  of  the  Marquis 
de  Lavardin  in  regard  to  the  privileges  claimed  by 
the  French  ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Eome,  bad 
manifested  to  the  world  the  pride  and  obstinacy  of 

*  Tractatus  Regaliae  contra  Rlerum  Gallicarmm,  1682  in  4°. 

f  Regale  Sacerdotium  Comano  Pontiiici  assert  um,  et  quatuor 
propositicmibus  explicatum,  sous  le  pscudonymc  d'Eugenius  Lom- 
bards, 1684,  in-1. 

X  Gallia  vindieata.  1688,  in-4. 


323  LIFE    OF    SAIXT   CECILIA. 

Louis  XIV.,  in  his  dealings  with  the  Pope,  Sfondrato 
transmitted  to  posterity  a  faithful  account  of  these 
unworthy  proceedings  on  the  part  of  one,  who  called 
himself  "the  oldest  son  of  the  Church."* 

This  invincible  zeal  of  Sfondrato  excited  the 
animosity  of  the  heads  of  the  French  Clergy,  who 
were  accomplices  in  the  work  of  1652.  But  they 
failed  in  obtaining  the  condemnation  of  the  book  in 
which  he  treats  all  questions  concerning  grace,  in  a 
manner  opposed  to  the  theories  of  thomism.f  Rome 
did  not  think  that  Sfondrato  had  advanced  any 
thing  contrary  to  the  decisions  of  the  Church.  At 
the  same  time  the  author  could  not  be  classed  amonsr 

o 

those  who  were  called  in  France  the  flatterers  of  the 
Eoman  Court ;  for  although  he  energetically  supported 
the  sacred  prerogatives  of  the  supreme  Pontiff,  he  was 
no  less  firm  in  censuring  the  abuses  to  which  human 
frailty  sometimes  yielded  in  so  elevated  a  position. 
There  is  a  severe  treatise  against  Nepotism  which  i.s 
a  production  of  the  courageous  pen  of  Celestin 
Sfondrato.:}: 

Such  a  man  could  not  fail  to  interest  the  noble 
heart  of  Innocent  XL,  In  16SS,  this  Pontiff  appointed 
Sfondrato,  Bishop  of  ZSTovare;  this  nomination  was  at 
first  declined  by  the  learned  monk.  He  afterwards 
decided  to  accept  it,  but  just  as  he  was  on  the  point 
of  so  doing,  the  Abbey  of  St.  Gall  became  vacant, 

*  Legatio  Marcliionis  Lavardmi  Romam,  ejnsque  cum  Iniio- 
centio  XI  dissidiurn.  1655.  in-12. 

t  Nodus  prsdestina-tionis  dissolutns,  1697.  in-4. 
4:  2sepotisiiiU5  theologiae  expensus.  1692  in-12. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  329 

•and  the  unanimous  suffrage  of  the  chapter  elected 
Sfondrato  to  the  dignity  of  Abbot,  together  with  the 
honors  of  Prince  of  the  Holy  Empire.  In  this  new 
dignity  he  was  ever  faithful  to  the  Church,  and  to 
the  Holy  See,  humble  amidst  the  grandeur  which 
surrounded  him,  zealous  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
assiduous  in  study,  vigilant  in  the  government  of  his 
principality,  austere  in  his  habits  and  remarkable, 
as  his  uncle  Paul  Emilius  had  been,  for  his  inex- 
haustible charity  towards  the  poor  and  suffering. 

Such  was  Celestin  Sfondrato,  the  most  powerful 
Abbot  of  his  time,  as  well  as  the  most  celebrated  for 
his  virtues  and  science,  when  he  received  the  news 
of  his  elevation  to  the  Cardinalate,  Innocent  XII. 
called  him  to  Kome/  and  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his 
Abbey.  The  Pope,  in  memory  of  his  uncle,  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia.  Celestin 
merited  this  glorious  honor  in  reward  for  his  attach- 
ment to  the  liberty  of  the  Church ;  but  he  had 
scarcely  arrived  in  Eome,  when  he  was  attacked  by 
a  serious  illness,  and  scarcely  had  a  year  elapsed 
after  his  promotion,  when  he  yielded  his  soul  to  God, 
on  the  4th  of  September,  JL 69 6,  in  the  52nd  year  of 
age.  Like  Paul  Emilius,  he  desired  to  repose  in  the 
Basilica  of  the  Holy  Martyr,  and  gave  orders  that 
the  humble  epitaph  composed  by  his  uncle  should 
be  engraven  upon  his  tomb.  It  is  still  to  be  seen 
and  runs  thus : 

CJELESTINVS  TITVLI  S.  OJSCILLfli 
S.  R.  E.  PRESBYTER  CARDIXAL1S  SFONDRATV3 


330  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

MISERRIMVS  PECCATOR 

ATQVE  EIVSDEM  VIRGINIS  HVMILIS  SERVVS 

AD  CVIVS  PEDES  HIC  HVMILITER  REQVIESCIT 

YIXIT  ANKOS  LII. 

OBIIT  PRIDIE  NONAS  SEPTEMBRIS 

ANNO  MDCXCVI. 

ORATE  DEVM  PRO  EO. 

This  Prince  of  the  Church,  so  lately  a  temporal 
Prince,  did  not  have  sufficient  means  to  provide  for 
his  burial,  and  the  Apostolic  Chamber  were  obliged 
to  defray  his  funeral  expenses.* 

At  the  very  moment  when  the  Sovereign  Pontiff 
invited  Celestin  Sfondrato  to  take  possession  of  the 
sanctuary,  whence  the  heroic  Cecilia  has  for  centuries 
bestowed  her  blessings  upon  the  defenders  of  the 
Church,  the  outrage  which  had  been  long  preparing 
in  France  against  the  memory  of  this  incomparable 
Martyr,  was  consummated.  In  1695,  appeared  the 
third  volume  of  the  Memoires  pour  servir  a  Vhistoire 
HJcclesiastique  des  six  premiers  siecles,  by  Le  Nain  de 
Tillemont,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  dangerous 
adepts  of  Port  Eoyal.  Iff  this  volume,  as  well  as  in 
those  which  precede  and  follow  it,  we  find  a  vein  of 
profound  and  systematical  contempt  for  the  traditions 
most  prized  by  Catholics ;  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  are 
censured  with  a  levity  and  partiality  which  must  call 
forth,  sooner  or  later,  the  disapprobation  of  all  impar- 

*  Guarnacci.    Vitce  et  res  gestcB  Pontificnrr,  Romanoritm.  et  S» 
JR.  E,  Cardinalium,  tome  1,  page  443-446. 


J.TFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  331 

tial  critics.     Notwithstanding   the  popularity  they  ' 
had  enjoyed  for  over  a  thousand  years,  they  are  not ' 
deemed  worthy  a  special  chapter;  in  a  simple  note 
of  the  two  pages,  Tillemont  settles  the  question  of 
their  authenticity. 

"  These  Acts,"  says  he,  "  may  be  ancient,  and  are 
not  badly  written."*  Having  admitted  this,  Tille- 
mont goes  on  to  assail  these  grave  and  ancient  acts 
with  a  multitude  of  objections,  which  we  will  refute 
in  the  ensuing  chapter.  At  present,  wre  deem  it  a 
duty  to  lay  before  our  readers  the  views  entertained 
concerning  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  by  the  majority 
of  Christians  during  the  very  century,  which  beheld 
them  ridiculed  and  despised  by  bold  and  unscrupu- 
lous authors. 

The  Eoman  Church,  the  Ambrosian  Church,  the 
Gallican  Church,  the  Gothic  Church  of  Spain,  and 
the  Greek  Church  had  unanimously  proclaimed  these 
Acts  worthy  the  respect  of  all  Christendom.  From 
age  to  age,  Pontiffs  and  Doctors,  who  succeeded  each 
other  in  their  different  Churches,  venerated  a  narra- 
tion, many  parts  of  which  were  then,  and  are  still, 
used  in  different  parts  of  the  Divine  Service  through- 
out the  greater  number  of  Christian  countries.  Can 
so  many  competent  judges,  so  many  nations,  so  many 
individuals,  be  accused  of  having  received,  with 
undeviating  respect,  for  thirteen  centuries,  a  fabulous 

*Tillcmont.  Memoires  pour  servin  a  T Hist  Ecclesiastique,  tome 
Hi.  p.  259.  It  is  perhaps  well  to  observe  that  the  expression 
badly  written  which  Tillemont  uses,  should  not  be  understood 
in  its  present  signification.  In  the  seventeenth  century,  it 
signified  a  compilation  faulty  in  matter,  not  in  style. 


332  LIFE   OF   SA1XT   CECILIA. 

legend,  which  reason  and  criticism  were  always  at 
liberty  to  condemn,  since  it  was  not  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

Shall  we  pass  over,  as  a  thing  of  no  importance, 
the  unanimous  agreement  of  hagiographers,  for  a 
period  of  a  thousand  years,  beginning  from  the 
Venerable  Bede  and  descending  to  Baronius  and 
Papebroke  ?  And  shall  we  venture  to  assert,  that  the 
question,  concerning  the  authenticity  of  St.  Cecilia's 
Acts,  had  never  been  discussed  until  the  da}^,  when 
Port  Eoyal  was  pleased  to  intimate  to  the  Christian 
world  its  decisions  against  their  truth  ? 

If,  after  having  cited  the  unanimous  approbation 
of  past  ages,  we  now  consider  the  Acts  in  themselves, 
will  sound  criticism,  find  any  reason  for  discrediting 
the  facts  which  they  contain  ?  Are  not  these  facts  in 
perfect  accordance  with  the  age  in  which  they  are 
said  to  have  transpired  ?  Do  we  find  in  them  anything 
opposed  to  the  customs  of  the  early  Christians  of 
Eome  ?  Is  there  anything  either  singular,  or  improb- 
able, in  the  incidents  related,  or  in  the  language  of 
the  speakers  ?  Are  we  not,  on  the  contrary,  impressed 
with  the  similarity  of  these  Acts  to  those  given  us 
by  Dom  Euinart  ? 

During  the  centuries  that  have  elapsed  since  the 
publication  of  the  Acts,  St.  Cecilia's  tomb  has  been 
twice  opened  and  her  dwelling,  now  her  Basilica,  has 
been  the  constant  object  of  pious  and  eager  research. 
"What  has  been  the  result  ?  The  most  evident  proofs 
of  the  narrator's  sincerity,  the  most  striking  confirma- 
tion of  the  facts  he  relates.     Shall  the  satirical  and 


LIFE   OP   SAINT   CECILIA.  333 

gratuitous  assertions  of  a  writer  who  disdains  to 
notice  archaeological  discoveries  suffice  to  overthrow 
positive  proofs,  the  least  of  which  would  be  sufficient 
to  reinstate  in  the  minds  of  scientific  men,  a  monu- 
ment of  profane  antiquity  no  matter  how  decried; 
especially,  proofs  so  strong  as  those  furnished  by  the 
opening  of  Cecilia's  tomb  and  the  discovery  of  her 
caldarium  ? 

If  so,  we  must  compliment  the  compiler  of  the 
Acts  for  all  the  beauties  found  in  this  astonishing 
work.  That  a  man,  who  was  ignorant  even  of  the 
grammar  of  his  native  language  and  of  all  the  rules 
of  composition,  could  be  the  inventor  of  so  sublime 
a  drama,  composed  with  such  grace  and  energy, 
such  delicacy  and  grandeur,  never  occurred  to  the 
Christian  world,  until  it  was  informed  of  the  fact  by 
Tillemont ;  nor  should  we  be  surprised  if  the  learned 
were  still  to  reject  it,  in  spite  of  the  authority  of  Port 
Eoyal. 

There  are  some  men,  who,  slaves  to  pride,  and  to 
the  spirit  of  system,  have  deadened  that  judgment 
which  the  Creator  has  given  us  to  discern  truth  from 
falsehood ;  but  it  is  strange  that  Tillemont,  versed 
as  he  was  in  memorials  of  ecclesiastical  antiquity, 
did  not  at  once  understand  the  difference  between 
our  Acts,  which  are  so  precise  in  their  narration,  so 
probable  throughout,  so  easy  in  the  developments 
of  characters,  and  apocryphal  recitals,  the  exagge- 
rated style  of  which  borders  on  the  marvellous,  and 
convinces  the  reader  that  the  author  has  given  full 
vent  to  his  imagination,  without  troubling  himself 


334  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

about  circumstances,  time,  or  place.  Now  there  is 
as  much  difference  between  the  two,  as  between  a 
portrait  taken  from  nature  and  a  fancy  sketch. 

Even  though  Ave  had  been  left  without  any  docu- 
ments concerning  the  first  ages  of  Christianity, 
though  the  customs  of  the  early  Christians  were  per- 
fectly unknown  to  us,  what  man,  initiated  in  the 
religion  of  Christ,  would  not  feel  that  the  Martyrs 
led  just  such  a  life?  And  shall  we,  who,  notwith- 
standing the  ravages  of  time,  can  still  represent  to 
ourselves  those  heroic  days,  with  the  assistance  of 
so  many  incontestable  monuments,  not  recognize  the 
Christians  of  the  third  centmy,  the  cotemporaries  of 
Tertullian  and  Origen,  in  the  noble  yet  simple  cha- 
racters of  Cecilia,  Tiburtius,  and  Valerian  ? 

Insults  and  denials  are  not  sufficient,  proofs  are 
requisite.  The  arguments  so  triumphantly  adduced 
by  Tillemont  and  his  successors  shall  be  discussed 
by  us  in  that  Catholic  spirit  whfch  ought  to  have 
led  them  to  treat  with  reverence,  traditions  admitted 
by  learned  and  virtuous  men,  and  proposed  by  the 
Church  to  the  respectful  admiration  of  her  children. 
To  root  out  a  beautiful  flower  from  the  garden  of 
the  Church,  to  trample  it  under  foot,  to  deprive  Ce- 
cilia of  all  glory  save  her  name  and  an  uncertain 
martyrdom,  must  have  required  powerful  reasons. 
Our  Catholic  readers  may  judge  of  their  merits. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  £33 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

EXAMINATION     AND     REPUTATION     OP     THE     ARGUMENTS    OP     THK 
JANSENISTS   AGAINST    THE   ACTS   OP   ST.    CECILIA. 

Tillemont  begins  by  attacking  the  Acts  of  St.  Ce- 
cilia, as  well  as  those  of  Sts.  Callistus  and  Urban,  be- 
cause they  imply  a  persecution  against  the  Christians, 
during  the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus,  who  is  well 
known  to  have  been  favorably  disposed  to  Christi- 
anity.* This  objection  might  have  some  weight,  if 
the  author  of  the  Acts  had  alleged  any  edicts  or  hos- 
tile disposition  of  the  Emperor  towards  the  Christ- 
ians ;  but  Alexander  is  not  once  mentioned  in  the 
Acts;  the  violent  persecutions  against  the  Christians 
are  attributed  solely  to  the  personal  hatred  of  his 
prefect,  Turchius  Almachius.  The  Acts  of  Saints 
Callistus  and  Martina  are  more  open  to  criticism  on 
this  point,  because  Alexander  Severus  is  personally 
spoken  of  in  connection  with  the  persecutions. 

Now  it  is  certain  that,  during  the  reign  of  this 
weak-minded  prince,  the  Christians  Buffered  local 
persecutions  from  the  magistrates,  who  were  hostile 
to  the  Church,  and  who  took  advantage  of  the   laws 

*  See  Tillemont'fl  "Memoirea  pourserrir  a  L'HIstoire  Eoolesi- 
astique  dea  six  premiers  Bieoles*1  Tome  iii.  p,  679. 


336  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

which  the  son  of  Julia  Mammaea  had  not  the  courage 
to  revoke.  We  can  prove  this  asssertion  not  only 
by  the  opinion  of  Baronius,*  but  also  by  the  ex- 
press admission  of  Petau,f  Dom  Buinart^  Fleury,§ 
Baillet,!    and,    strange   to    say,   Tillemont    himself, 

*  See  liis  notes  upon  the  Roman  Martyrology  of  the  1st  of 
January. 

f  Alexandro  Imperatore  pacem  habuit  Ecclesia.  Nam  et  Chris- 
tianis  ille  favisse  dicitur.  Verum  cum  eos  in  consilium  adhiberet 
qui,  ut  juris  peritissimi,  ita  christianis  iniquissimi  erant,  non- 
nullaB  Martyrum  caedes  extiterunt,  quos  inter  Csecilia  claruit 
cum  Tiburtio  et  Valeriano.  Rationarium  temporum,  part,  i.,  lib. 
v.,  cap.  xi. 

J  Alexandrum  Heliogabali  successorum  Christianis  favisse 
nemo  potest  inficiari,  nisi  omnes  antiquos  scriptores  rejicere 
velit.  Unde  mirum  est,  tot  Martyres  sub  ejus  imperio  passos  a 
nonnuUis  recenseri.  An  id  ad  Praefectos,  quos  sub  ejus  imperio 
saevissimos  fuisse  aiunt  referendum  est  ?  An  forte  dicendum, 
aliquot  Martyres,  qui  sub  Severi  persecutione  passi  sunt,  ad 
Alexandri  tempora  incaute  transferri,  quod  et  ipse  Severus  fue- 
rit  appellatus  ?  At  Callixtus  Papa,  qui  eo  imperante  vivere 
desiit,  inter  Martyres  in  Kalendario  Bucheriano  recensetur. 
Prcefatio  in  Acta  Martyrum,  §iii.,  page  38. 

§  Although  Alexander  was  favorable  to  the  Christians,  we 
can  count  several  martyrs  during  his  time,  among  others,  Pope 
Callistus,  who  died  the  first  year  of  his  reign,  A.  D.  122.,  and 
his  successor,  St.  Urban.  But  we  may  believe  that  the  perse- 
cutions took  place  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Emperor,  by 
the  sole  authority  of  the  magistrates,  who  were  bitter  enemies 
to  the  Christian  name.     Hist.  Ecclesiastigue.  lib.   v.  n°  xlix. 

||  However  great  was  the  peace  of  the  Church  under  so  good 
an  Emperor  as  Alexander  Severus,  who  permitted  himself  to  be 
governed  by  his  mother,  Julia  Manimaea,  supposed  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  who  esteemed  our  Redeemer  so  much  as  to  pro- 
pose ranking  Him  among  the  gods  and  erecting  a  temple  in  His 
honor ;  still  many  martyrs  suffered  during  his  reign,  either  in 
popular  tumults  excited  by  the  Pagans,  or  through  the  malignity 
of  the  heathen  priests  and  magistrates.  We  can  assert  with 
sufficient  authority,  that  Callistus  was  of  this  number.  Vies  des 
Saints,  tome  vii.  inAc  14  Octobre. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  337 

who,  finding  it  impossible  to  deny  the  martyrdom 
of  Pope  Callistus,  which  assuredly  took  place  daring 
the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus,  agrees  that  several 
Christians  may  have  received  the  crown  of  martyr- 
dom at  this  period.  He  even  goes  so  far  as  to  ex- 
plain how  such  persecutions  took  place,  and  in  doino* 
so,  makes  use  of  the  very  arguments  which  we  pre- 
sented to  the  reader  in  the  commencement  of  this 
history.* 

The  opinion  of  so  many  learned  men  as  to  the  kind 
of  persecution  the  Christians  of  Eome  suffered  under 
Alexander,  is  confirmed  by  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia, 
with  a  precision,  the  force  of  which  Tillemont  does 
not  seem  to  have  even  perceived.  It  is  evident  from 
every  circumstance  mentioned  in  these  Acts,  that 
the  Prefect  Almachius,  in  his  process  against  the 
brothers,  is  very  reluctant  to  bring  forward  the  charge 
of  their  being  Christians;  that  his  hesitation  in  con- 
demning them  to  death  is  very  marked  ;  and  that  he 
dares  not  sentence  Cecilia  to  a  public  execution.  Let 
these  Acts  be  compared  with  those  of  other  martyrs 
who  suffered  in  consequence  of  edicts  of  persecution, 
and  see  if  in  the  latter  case  the  magistrates  acted 
with  so  much  indecision.  Add  to  this  the  emperor's 
absence  in  the  year  230,  which  was  the  last  of  Urban's 

*  But  this  peace  did  not  prevent  that  either  in  consequence 
of  some  sedition  among  the  people,  or  from  other  causes,  there 
may  have  been  some  cases  of  martyrdom  during  the  reign  of 
Alexander  Severus,  as  there  had  been  during  that  of  Philip,  who 
passed  for  a  Christian,  and  of  other  emperors  who  openly  pro- 
tected the  Church.  We  have  even  many  proofs  that  St.  Callis- 
tus suffered  martyrdom  under  Alexander  Severus.  Memoires 
pour  nmrvir  a  VHistoire,  Ecclesiastique,  tome  iii.  p.  231.  See  als<# 
Ibid  in  tin;  notes  p.    681  • 

27* 


338  LIFE   0F   SAINT   CECILIA. 

pontificate,  and  the  temporary  persecution  of  the 
Eoman  magistrate  will  be  easily  understood.  His 
violence  was  at  first  directed  only  against  the  ple- 
beians ;  but  a  patrician  family  becoming  accidentally 
implicated,  the  magistrate  feared  to  commit  himself. 
We  have  admitted  that  five  thousand  persons  fell 
victims  in  this  persecution,  and  if  the  number  be  ex- 
aggerated, our  readers  must  remember  that  we  do 
not  quote  it  from  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  but  from 
those  of  Urban,  which,  although  doubtless  reliable, 
have  not  the  authority  of  the  Acts  of  the  Eoman 
Virgin.  The  fact  that  the  latter  were  compiled  during 
the  peace  of  the  Church,  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  the 
purity  of  the  sources  whence  the  writer  drew  his 
story.  Entirely  ignorant  of  chronology,  he  does  not 
seem  to  know  the  name  of  the  emperor  under  whom 
the  events  which  he  relates  took  place ;  and,  never- 
theless, his  narrative  perfectly  accords  with  the  reign 
of  a  weak-minded  prince,  who,  although  favorable 
to  Christianity,  still  permitted  his  magistrates  to  en- 
force laws  which  had  been  suspended,  but  not  abol- 
ished. If  our  writer  had  not  had  tradition  to  guide 
him,  he  would,  like  the  authors  of  apocryphal  acts, 
have  cited  in  his  history  edicts  and  emperors;  he 
would  have  imitated  the  Acts  of  other  martyrs,  in- 
stead of  showing  that  originality,  which  is  in  perfect 
keeping  with  the  condition  of  the  Church  of  Eome 
under  Alexander  Severus.  Tillemont  probably  felt 
this,  for  he  seeks  to  throw  discredit  upon  the  Acts 
by  pointing  out  circumstances  contained  in  them, 
which  appear  to  him  difficult  to  reconcile  with  what  we 
know  of  the  period. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  qoo 

"We  find;7  he  says,  "in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia, 
that  the  emperors  had  commanded  that  all  who  would 
not  renounce  Christianity  should  be  punished ;  con- 
sequently there  must  have  been  a  declared  persecu- 
tion. The  mention  made  in  many  places  of  several 
emperors  is  out  of  place  at  a  period  when  but  one 
prince  was  reigning.7'  It  is  easy  to  explain  this  latter 
difficulty,  if  it  can  be  called  one. 

Almachius  became  so  involved  in  judiciary  acts  of 
violence  against  the  Church,  that  he  was  forced  to 
refer  to  some  law,  in  order  to  authorize  his  prosecu- 
tions. The  laws  which  had  been  promulgated  against 
the  Christians,  by  the  predecessors  of  Alexander, 
were  his  only  refuge.  It  was  very  natural  that  the 
Prefect  should  express  himself  in  the  plural  when 
alleging  the  edicts  of  former  emperors ;  had  he  pre- 
sumed to  use  Alexander's  name,  the  latter  might 
have  brought  him  to  account  for  abusing  his  name 
and  authority  in  support  of  actions  which  were  to- 
tally foreign  to  his  own  line  of  conduct.  If,  therefore, 
Almachius  mentioned  several  emperors,  he  did  not 
necessarily  imply  that  the  empire  was  at  this  time 
governed  by  several  heads.  This  form  of  judiciary 
style  is  constantly  found  in  the  acts  of  legal  tribunals, 
both  of  ancient  and  modern  times.  Tillcmont  was 
perfectly  aware  of  this.  He  lived  during  the  reign 
of  Louis  XIV.,  a  prince  who  assuredly  reigned  alone; 
did  he  then  think  that  France  had  suddenly  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  several  monarchs,  when  lie  met 
with  some  decree  of  Parliament,  appealing  to  the 
edicts  and  ordinances  of  our  lungs?  Tillemont 
is  not  satisfied  with  declaring  our  acts  a  romance, 


34:0  LIFE    0F    SAINT  CECILIA. 

solely  because  they  seem  to  him  incompatible  with 
the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus;  he,  moreover, 
considers  the  very  name  of  Almachius,  which  he 
says  is  not  Koman,*  sufficient  to  invalidate  the  whole 
narration.  He  even  adds  that  such  is  the  opinion 
of  Fathers  Gamier  and  Sirmond,  deeming  that  in 
such  a  cause  even  Jesuits  may  be  considered  reliable 
authority.  The  reply  to  this  pretended  difficulty  is 
very  easy.  Without  dwelling  upon  the  possibility 
of  some  alteration  having  been  made  in  Almachius) 
name  during  the  two  centuries  which  elapsed  be- 
tween the  martyrdom  of  St.  Cecilia  and  the  compila- 
tion of  her  Acts,  we  will  simply  say  that  the  prefect 
who  condemned  our  martyrs  was  named  Turcius  Al- 
machius, and  not  merely  Almachius.  Can  Tillemont 
deny  that  Turcius  is  a  Eoman  name?  The  Eoman 
inscription  given  by  Gruter,  would  be  sufficient  to 
convict  him  of  falsehood. 

Moreover,  Tillemont  himself,  in  his  study  of  the 
Martyrs  of  Italy,  met  with  the  name  of  Turcius  and 
quietly  registered  it.  He  relates  that  in  274,  the 
Emperor  Aurelian  sent  a  magistrate,  named  Turcius, 
to  Sutri  in  Tuscany,  f  with  orders  to  persecute  the 
Christians ;  and  he  even  positively  asserts  that  the 
name  of  Turcius  was  quite  common  in  ancient  times, 
several  persons,  named  Turcius  Asterius,  having  been 
elevated  to  the  first  offices  of  the  Empire.;}:  More- 
over, he  mentions  that  in  303,  during  the  persecution 
of  Diocletian,  a  Proconsul    Turcius    prosecuted  the 

*  Memoires,  tome  iii.,  page  690. 

f  Memoires  tome  iv.  p.  352. 

X  Memoires  dan.i  les  notes  p.  682. 


LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  341 

Christians  in  Perugia.*  It  matters  little,  however, 
whether  the  name  of  Almachius  was  the  exact  sur- 
name of  the  prefect,  or  whether  it  is  a  corruption  of 
the  true  surname,  we  have  used  it  simply  because  it 
is  more  popular.  Tillemont,  after  attempting  to  prove 
that  Cecilia  did  not  live  during  the  reign  of  Alexan- 
der, and  after  trying  to  obliterate  even  the  name  of 
the  judge  to  whom  she  owed  her  crown  of  martyrdom, 
takes  the  trouble  to  find  her  a  place  in  the  chronology 
of  the  saints.  Now,  as  he  refused  to  accept  the  epoch 
determined  by  the  Acts,  he  found  it  necessary  to 
choose  between  two  dates.  In  order  to  avoid  em- 
barrassment he  adopted  both,  neither  being  the  one 
received  by  the  Church.  The  following  are  his 
proofs:  " Usuard  and  several  others,  for  instance  Ado, 
place  St.  Cecilia  under  the  Emperors  Marcus  Aure- 
lius and  Commodus  who  reigned  conjointly,  from  176 
to  180.     The  Greeks  place  her  under  Diocletian."* 

The  reader  may  now  choose  between  these  two 
equally  reliable  dates.  It  is  indeed  true  that  Usuard 
and  St.  Ado  place  St.  Cecilia  under  Marcus  Aurelius 
and  Commodus  ;  but  the  historian  of  Port  Royal  does 
not  add  that  they  also  mention  her  during  Urban's 
pontilicate,  that  in  their  martyrology  of  the  14th  of 
April,  they  note  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Tiburtius, 
Maximus,  and  Cecilia,  under  the  same  Pontiff,  from 
whose  hands  they  aflirm  the  two  former  received 
Baptism,  and  that  on  the  25th  of  May,  in  the  notice 
on  St.  Urban,  they  relate  the  interviews  between  this 
Pope  and  Cecilia.  Usuard  and  Ado  have  therefore 
erred  in  placing  Cecilia  under   Marcus  Aurelius  and 

*  Memo  in  8,  Tome  v.  p,  1  L9< 


3^2  LIFE  0F   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Commodus ;  this  mistake  may  perhaps  be-  accounted 
for  by  the  name  of  Alexander  Severus,  which  was 
in  full,  Marcus  Aurelius  Severus  Alexander.  The 
liturgists  of  the  ninth  century  had  not  the  facility  we 
have  of  knowing  the  different  imperial  names,  which 
are  now  found  upon  bronzes  and  medals.  Moreover, 
on  any  other  occasion,  Tillemont  would  not  have 
considered  their  opinion  of  any  value  ;  he  only  quotes 
it  here  because  it  helps  to  prove  his  assertions.  As 
to  the  Greeks,  who  did  not  know  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia 
before  the  ninth  century,  and  who  refer  her  martyr- 
dom to  the  persecution  of  Diocletian,  this  is  the  only 
occasion  upon  which  Tillemont  quotes  their  books 
which  are  proverbial  for  their  extreme  imperfection 
and  open  in  many  points  to  criticism.  In  this  case, 
they  are  evidently  wrong,  since  they  relate  the  inter- 
views between  Cecilia  and  Pope  Urban  who  governed 
the  Church  fifty  years  before  Diocletian. 

We  frequently  find  this  arbitrary  use  of  the  rules 
of  criticism  in  Tillemont's  work.  The  reader  has 
already  seen  the  Hymn  we  copied  from  the  Gothic 
Breviary ;  it  is  a  perfect  abridgment  of  our  Acts, 
and  by  its  antiquity,  of  sufficient  importance  to 
confirm  them  Tillemont  does  not  deign  to  notice 
it,  whereas  he  mentions  in  the  following  terms  a 
Hymn  of  the  same  liturgy,  which  embodies  the  Acts 
of  St.  Marciana.  "  We  have  a  hymn  to  St.  Marciana, 
taken  from  the  Gothic  or  Mozarabic  Breviary  of 
Toledo,  and  from  the  Acts  given  by  Bollandus.  We 
cannot  assert  that  these  Acts  are  original,  since  they 
seem  to  have  been  written  several  years  after  the 
death  of  the  Saint,  and  contain  some  particulars  which 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  343 

give  us  reason  to  doubt  their  truth.  However,  the 
Hymn  found  in  the  Breviary  of  Toledo,  is  sufficiently 
ancient  and  beautiful  to  authorize  us  in  receiving  the 
Acts."*  The  Acts  of  St.  Marciana  are  not  certainly 
wanting  in  authority;  nevertheless  they  are  far  from 
aaving  been  so  universally  received  as  those  of  St. 
Cecilia ;  the  details  in  them  were  never  so  publicly 
known ;  nor  are  they  confirmed  by  such  striking 
monuments  ;  and  still  Tillemont  is  very  liberal  to 
them,  and  disdainfully  rejects  the  others. 

This  author,  not  satisfied  with  trying  to  invalidate 
the  chronology  of  our  Acts,  also  attacks  them  in  their 
topographical  bearing.  We  will  cite  the  words  of 
this  celebrated  critic.  "It  is  very  singular,"  he  says, 
"that  both  the  Greeks  and  Latins  mention  St.  Cecilia 
as  being  a  Roman,  even  the  Martyrologies  attributed 
to  St.  Jerome ;  whereas  Fortunatus,  who  is  probably 
our  most  ancient  author  upon  these  subjects,  places 
her  in  Sicily : 

CJECILIAM  SICULA  PKOFERT,  SELEUCIA  TECLAM. 

"  Neither  he,  nor  any  one  else,  says  that  she  was 
a  native  of  Sicily,  for  we  see,  from  St.  Thecla  and 
others,  that  Fortunatus  only  mentions  that  island  as 
the  place  of  her  death.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that 
she  was  martyred  there,  and  that  her  body  having 
been  carried  to  Rome  in  the  early  ages,  some  have 
called  her  a  Roman,  from  this  circumstance,  as  in  the 
case  of  St.  Sabina,  who  died  at  Umbria ;  others  be- 
lieved that  she  lived  and  died  in  Rome,  and  conse- 

*  Memoircs,  tome  v.  page  2G3. 


34-i  LIFE    OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

quently  composed  her  Acts  upon  this  supposition, 
probably  transforming  a  Governor  and  a  Bishop  of 
Sicily  into  a  Prefect  of  Eome  and  a  Pope.  It  is 
certain  that  this  would  be  easy  for  those  who  have 
not  received  the  love  of  truth.rf 

Conformably  to  the  doctrines  of  Port  Koyal,  which 
the  author  exposes  with  so  much  naivete,  a  writer 
is  truthful  or  deceitful  in  his  narrations,  not  ac- 
cording to  his  own  free  will,  but  according  to  whether 
he  has  or  has  not  received  the  love  of  truth.  Such 
doctrines  should  render  those  who  believe  in  them, 
indulgent  to  false  writers,  and  historical  imposters; 
they  should  not  reject  them  with  too  much  disdain  ; 
but  should  wait  patiently  for  the  love  of  truth  to  de- 
scend into  them,  and  render  them  sincere  and  faith- 
ful, without  their  own  co-operation.  We  who  are 
Catholics  and  believe  man  to  be  endowed  with  per- 
sonal responsibility,  find  it  difficult  to  recognize  in 
Tillemont  that  love  of  truth  which  he  refuses  to  the 
compiler  of  St.  Cecilia's  Acts,  and  we  do  not  hesitate 
to  call  him  to  an  account  for  it.  He  agrees  that  all 
the  authors  who  mention  St.  Cecilia  call  her  a  Roman, 
and  yet  all  these  venerable  names  are  effaced  by  that 
of  a  single  individual,  Fortunatus,  Bishop  of  Poic- 
tiers.  And  what  do  we  find  in  his  writings,  so  con- 
clusive as  to  overthrow  the  testimony  of  ages  ? 
One  single  line  of  poetry !  And  that  line,  defective 
in  quantity,  which  naturally  leads  us  to  suppose  the 
copyist  in  fault,  at  least  in  some  degree.  On  the 
authority  of  this  one  line,  Tillemont  would  have  us 
believe   that   St.    Cecilia   died   in   Sicily,    because, 

*  Memoirs,  tome  iii.  page  690. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  345 

forsooth,  "  Fortunatus  is  probably  the  most  ancient 
author  who  speaks  of  the  holy  martyr !"  This  prob- 
ably is,  to  Tillemont's  mind,  sufficiently  weighty  to 
counterbalance  the  Martyrology  attributed  to  St. 
Jerome;  the  Leonian,  Gelasian,  Ambrosian  and  Gal- 
ilean Sacramentaries ;  the  Papal  Chronicle  of  Felix 
IV.,  and  all  the  historical  monuments  of  St.  Cecilia, 
founded  upon  the  Acts,  and  prior  to  Fortunatus. 

But  even  supposing  the  famous  line  to  be  original, 
does  Tillemont  know  of  what  Cecilia,  Fortunatus 
speaks  ?  It  is  very  certain  that  the  Bishop  does  not 
say.  Many  learned  Sicilians,  among  others  Octavio 
Gaetano,  who  have  written  the  lives  of  the  Saints 
of  Sicily,  have  frankly  acknowledged  that  they  could 
not  find  the  slightest  vestige  of  a  St.  Cecilia,  born 
or  martyred  on  that  island ;  or  even  of  one  whose 
relics  had  been  brought  there.  It  is  therefore 
natural  to  think  that,  if  Fortunatus  composed  this 
line,  he  erred ;  or  perhaps  he  confounded  one  island 
of  the  Mediterranean  with  another.  There  was  a 
St.  Cecilia  martyred  at  Cagliari  in  Sardinia;*  the 
similarity  of  name  may  have  led  to  this  mistake. 
However  this  may  be,  the  spirit  of  system  alone, 
could  transform  into  an  oracle  these  unexplained 
words  of  an  author  who  wrote  at  a  distance  from  the 
theatre  of  events,  and  whose  words  had  passed  un- 
noticed for  more  than  a  thousand  years. 

But  Tillemont  not  only  prefers  this  solitary  line 
of  poetry,  to  the  unanimous  testimony  of  Roman 
authors,  both  anterior  and  posterior  to  Fortunatus; 
but,  with  it  for  his  guide,  he  proceeds  to  relate  Ce- 

*  Macedo.  Dc  Divia  tuUlaribm  orbit  christian^  pftge  215. 

28 


316  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

cilia's  history.  He  cannot  deny  that  hei  body  is  at 
Eome ;  but  he  explains  this  circumstance  by  an 
imaginary  translation  of  her  relics,  which  was  never 
heard  of  before.  That  the  Saint  suffered  in  Sicily, 
he  deems  incontestably  proved  by  Fortunatus'  words. 
It  is  equally  certain  that  her  body  is  now  in  Eome. 
Therefore  it  must  have  been  carried  thither.  This 
is  Tillemont's  proposition.  Now  for  his  proof.  St. 
Sabina,  who  suffered  martyrdom  in  Umbria,  was 
transported  to  the  capital  of  the  Christian  Avorld.* 
Wherefore,  Cecilia's  body  may  also  have  been  trans- 
lated thither.  Such  is  the  logic  of  this  relentless 
critic  of  Cecilia's  Acts. 

The  above  reasoning,  however,  is  opposed  by  a 
grave  difficulty,  which  Port  Eoyal  did  not  perceive 
in  the  exultation  of  its  triumph.  The  body  of  St. 
Sabina  was  indeed  brought  to  Eome ;  but  it  was  for 
the  purpose  of  being  honorably  placed  in  a  church 
built  under  the  invocation  of  the  saint,  upon  Mount 
Aventine.  St.  John  Chrysostom  was  also  transferred 
from  Constantinople,  to  St.  Peter's  in  Eome;  St. 
Jerome  from  Bethlehem  to  St.  Mary  Major;  and 
many  other  foreign  saints  to  the  different  churches 
of  the  same  city  ;  but  besides  the  fact  of  history  hav- 
ing preserved  the  memory  of  all  these  translations, 
altars  and  Basilicas  awaited  these  sacred  remains. 
St.  Cecilia,  on  the  contrary,  arrives,  and  no  one  is 
aware  of  her  coming ;  this  great  martyr,  to  whom 
Sicily  with  regret  confesses  itself  a  stranger,  comes 
nevertheless,  from  that  island,  and  the  Eoman  Church 
which  coveted  her  relics,  thinks  them  of  so  little  im- 

*  Memoires,  tome  iii .  page  690. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  847 

portance,  that  she  buries  them  in  the  depths  of  a 
crypt  on  the  Appian  Way.  She  inscribes  Cecilia's 
name  in  the  Canon  of  her  Mass,  and  yet  clandes- 
tinely conceals  her  sacred  body,  brought  from  such 
a  distance,  in  a  vault,  where  Tillemont  is  forced  to 
acknowledge,  Paschal  found  it  in  the  beginning  of 
the  ninth  century,  together  with  Sts.  Tiburtius,  Vale- 
rian, and  Maximus,  who  were,  it  is  to  be  presumed, 
brought  from  Sicily  with  the  holy  virgin. 

Is  not  this  nonsensical?  Is  it  not  humiliating  to 
see  Catholics  carried  away  by  such  reasoning,  in 
spite  of  the  most  convincing  proofs  of  its  falsehood  ? 

But  Tillemont  does  not  stop  here.  Since  he  has 
received  the  love  of  truth  more  than  any  one  who  lived 
during  the  twelve  centuries  when  Cecilia  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  Eoman  virgin,  we  naturally  expect 
him  to  explain  to  us  how  it  was  that  Urban  was 
transformed  from  a  Sicilian  bishop  into  a  Pope,  and 
Turcius  Almachius,  from  a  governor  of  Sicily,  into 
a  Roman  prefect.  But  Tillemont  contents  himself 
with  asserting  this  transformation;  he  does  not  con- 
descend to  prove  it.  We  must  then  conclude  that 
the  compiler  of  the  Acts  is  an  impostor,  and  that 
Port  Eoyal  is  an  infallible  judge  of  places  and 
persons  no  matter  how  ancient.  Nothing  remains 
now  but  to  assign  the  date  of  this  famous  translation 
upon  which  the  system  depends.      It  must  have  taken 

place  before  the  end  of  the  fifth  century,  since  Tille- 
mont says  that,  during  the,  Pontificate  of  Pope  Sym« 
machus,  there  was  a  ehureh  of  St.  Cecilia  in  Rome.* 
Otherwise  it  would  he  Impossible  to  explain  why  the 

*   Memoirs,   tOH16    iii .   ]>:t;'«'  690, 


348  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

saint  "had  not  been  placed  in  her  church.  There  was 
however,  remarks  Tillemont,  time  enough  to  bring 
her  relics  to  Rome,  between  the  cessation  of  the  per- 
secutions and  the  pontificate  of  Symmachus,  and  the 
fact  of  no  one  having  heard  of  this  Translation,  does 
not  prevent  its  having  taken  place.  It  is  astounding 
to  find  so  intelligent  and  learned  a  man  as  Tillemont 
ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  very  existence  of  a 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia  in  Rome,  is  a  sufficient  proof 
that  she  lived  in  that  city  ;  yet  Tillemont  must  have 
known  that  at  the  period  of  which  he  was  writing, 
the  canonical  rules  forbade  the  erecting  of  churches 
in  honor  of  saints,  except  in  those  places  where  their 
relics  reposed,  or  which  had  been  sanctified  by  their 
lives  and  sufferings.  Now,  in  the  time  of  Pope  Sym- 
machus,  the  virgin's  body  was  reposing  in  the  Cata- 
combs; the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica  was,  therefore  a 
monument  which  commemorated  her  residence  in 
Eome,  and  also,  as  we  learn  from  her  Acts,  and  from 
tradition,  marked  the  place  of  her  martyrdom.  It 
was,  therefore,  useless  to  imagine  the  translation  of 
Cecilia's  body,  together  with  those  of  her  companions, 
from  the  isle  of  Sicily  to  the  Catacombs  of  Rome, 
unless  the  origin  of  this  church  was  first  accounted 
for.  We  are  perfectly  willing  to  agree  that  the 
bodies  of  foreign  martyrs  were  brought  to  Rome  after 
the  persecution,  and  deposited  in  the  Catacombs,  pro- 
vided it  be  proved  that  previous  to  this  time,  no 
church  in  Rome  had  been  dedicated  to  them.  But 
we  have  lost  sufficient  time  over  these  Jansenistic 
fancies.  Their  boldness  and  cunning  will  not  sur- 
prise those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  subterfuges 


LIFE  OP  SAINT  CECILIA.  349 

of  this  wily  sect ;  but  the  above  remarks  may  pre- 
vent others  less  informed,  from  being  deceived  by 
the  plausible  statements  of  the  Jansenist  authors,  who 
for  more  than  a  century,  have  monopolized,  in  France, 
the  compilation  of  works  upon  the  history  of  Christi- 
anity. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

CONTINUATION    OP    THE   SAME   SUBJECT. 

We  must  now  consider  the  objections  to  the  Acts 
of  St.  Cecilia,  which  Tillemont  pretends  to  find  in 
these  Acts,  considered  in  themselves.  This  discus- 
sion will  not  be  less  instructive  than  the  preceding. 

We  will  begin  with  the  critic's  own  words :  "  These 
Acts  are  composed  of  extraordinary  miracles,  and 
other  matters  which  have  little  appearance  of  truth. 
The  discourses  are  long.  There  are,  indeed,  some 
beautiful  passages,  evidently  taken  from  Tertullian ; 
but  he  who  wrote  them  should  have  learned  from 
the  same  author  to  treat  princes  with  more  respect."* 

Hence,  sound  criticism  must  reject  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia  on  account  of  the  extraordinary  miracles  re- 
corded therein  !  Had  Tillemont  plainly  said  that  the 
conversion  of  the  Pagan  world  to  Christianity,  was 
effected  without  miracles,  Ave  could  refer  him  to  the' 
illustrious  Doctor  St.  Augustin,  who  would  teach  him 
that  in  that  case,  so  incomprehensible  a  transforma- 
tion would  be  the  greatest  of  miracles.     But  Tille- 

*  Memoirs,  tome  in.  page  089. 


350  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

mont  does  not  deny  miracles  in  general ;  he  merely 
distinguishes  between  those  which  he  calls  extraordi- 
nary, and  those  which  he  deems  ordinary.  Unfortun- 
nately,  he  has  left  us  no  theoretical  rules  whereby  we 
may  discern  one  from  the  other.  We  have  no  re- 
source left  but  to  study  his  manner  of  appreciating 
supernatural  facts. 

Let  us  first  remark  that  this  critic  admits  all  the 
miracles  contained  in  the  genuine  Acts  of  Dom 
Euinart.  He  cannot,  however,  deny  that  this  authen- 
tic collection  contains  many  miracles  more  extraor- 
dinary^ to  use  his  own  expression,  than  those  related 
in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  latter  are  among  the 
most  simple  recorded  in  the  annals  of  primitive 
Christianity.  Nothing  more  than  the  apparition  of 
St.  Paul  and  several  visions  of  Angels.  We  learn 
from  Origen,  who  wrote  at  that  time,  and  who  was 
certainly  not  a  weak  minded  man,  that  such  appari- 
tions were  very  frequent.  Tertullian,  a  contemporary 
of  Origen,  attests  that  the  greater  part  of  those  who 
embraced  Christianity  were  converted  by  visions.* 

Tillemont  relates  and  admits  all  the  facts  of  this 
nature  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  Sts.  Vincent,  Agnes, 
Theodotus  of  Ancyra,  etc.  Most  of  these  appari- 
tions are  much  more  marvellous  than  those  recorded 
in  the  Acts  of-  St.  Cecilia.  Is  it  reasonable  then  to 
contest  the  latter  ?  Beside  the  apparitions  there  is  no 
mention  in  the  Acts  of  any  miracle  except  the 
prolongation  of  Cecilia's  life  after  the  severe  wounds 
inflicted  by  the  lictor's  sword.     Were  these  wounds 

*  Major   pene  vis   liominum    visionibus    Deum    discunt  De 
anima,  cap  xlvii. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  351 

sufficiently  serious  to  produce  death  in  a  short  time? 
We  think  so.  But,  however  this  may  be,  it  should 
not  surprise  Tillemont  who  must  remember  that  the 
Acts  of  Dom  Euinart,  all  of  which  he  admits, 
frequently  speak  of  Martyrs,  whose  bodies,  rendered 
invulnerable  by  divine  power,  resisted  all  torments ; 
whose  dislocated  limbs  and  gaping  wounds  were 
often  suddenly  and  miraculously  healed,  filling  the 
Pagans  with  rage  and  confusion. 

The  principles  of  the  Port  Eoyal  School  paved  the 
way  for  those  of  anti-christian  rationalism.  To  refuse 
to  believe  in  miracles  because  they  are  extraordinary, 
is  senseless  logic,  since  a  miracle  is  only  a  miracle 
from  the  fact  of  being  extraordinary.  For  this  reason, 
supernatural  facts  are  not  proved  by  internal  evidence, 
but  by  human  testimony.  Can  we  measure  the  limits 
of  God's  Omnipotence  ?  What  answer  will  Tillemont 
make  to  those  whose  rejection  of  the  Bible,  is  grounded 
on  the  very  argument  which  he  addresses  against  the 
truth  of  Cecilia's  Acts,  viz. :  that  the  miracles  men- 
tioned therein,  are  too  extraordinary  to  be  believed  ? 

Our  critic  brings  forward  the  lengthy  discourses 
in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  as  another  argument 
against  them.  He  probably  desires  to  infer  that 
such  lengthy  discourses  could  not  have  been  pre- 
served; but  this  reasoning  might  carry  him  too  far. 
To  be  consistent,  he  must  begin  by  rejecting  the 
genuine  Acts  of  Saints  Pionius,  Victor  of  Marseilles, 
Philip  of  Heraclius,  Patrick,  etc,  all  of  which  he 
admits,  and  which,  nevertheless,  contain  longer  dis- 
courses than  those  of  St.  Cecilia's  Acts. 

Even   though  it  be  granted  for  a  moment    that 


352  ^IFE   0F  SAINT   CECILIA. 

these  discourses  have  no  historical  value,  would  this 
concession  invalidate  the  Acts  themselves?  This 
would  be  treating  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs  with  more 
severity  than  has  ever  been  shown  to  any  of  the 
historians  of  antiquity.  The  latter  have  embellished 
their  writings  with  harangues  of  their  own  composi- 
tion ;  no  one  ever  questioned  their  veracity  on  this 
account.  Is  historical  pyrrhonism  to  be  our  rule, 
only  when  examining  the  history  of  Christianity  ? 

The  sole  discourse  of  considerable  length  in  the  Acts, 
is  the  harangue  to  Tiburtius,  when  Cecilia  explains 
to  him  the  Christian  faith.  Tiburtius  may  have 
committed  this  discourse  to  writing.  It  would  not 
be  the  first  time  that  a  man  has  thus  preserved  words 
which  have  deeply  impressed  his  mind  and  heart.  In 
such  occasions,  which  are  not  so  rare  as  Tillemont 
imagines,  the  memory  may  sometimes  be  at  fault  ; 
but  the  writer  who  has  thus  noted  down  his  remem- 
brances, knows  that  his  account  is  a  faithful  one,  be- 
cause it  gives  the  sense  of  the  discourse  and  the 
thoughts  which  have  most  forcibly  struck  him. 
Besides,  this  speech  had  an  historical  bearing ;  the 
conversion  of  Tiburtius,  which  was  due  to  Cecilia, 
was  an  event  in  the  history  of  the  Eoman  Church, 
and  well  merited  a  page  in  the  annals  of  Christian 
Borne.  Would  it  not  be  more  surprising  if  it  had 
not  been  handed  down  to  posterity  ? 

The  rest  of  the  Acts  contain  rather  dialogues  than 
discourses.  The  questions  and  replies  in  the  interro- 
gatory do  not  exceed  the  length  of  those  found  in  the 
Acts  published  by  Dom  Euinart.  Valerian's  parable 
is  long ;  but  improvisations  of  equal  length  are  fre 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA,  353 

quently  found  in  the  most  authentic  interrogatories. 
The  Registrars  noted  down  all  that  the  martyrs  said  ; 
whilst  the  notaries  of  the  Church  compiled  their  Acts 
upon  notes  made  by  faithful  persons,  accustomed  to 
the  charge  ;  in  many  cases,  the  official  interrogatories 
were  purchased  with  money.  The  Christians  valued 
every  word  uttered  by  the  martyrs  before  the  judges, 
considering  them  as  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  ac- 
cording to  the  promise  of  our  Saviour  in  the  Gospel : 
"And  you  shall  be  brought  before  governors,  and 
before  kings,  for  my  sake.  But  when  they  shall 
deliver  you  up,  be  not  thoughtful  how  or  what  to 
speak;  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  what 
to  speak.  For  it  is  not  you  that  speak,  but  the  spirit 
of  your  Father  that  speaketh  in  you."* 

Tillemont  could  not  avoid  seeing  the  beauty  of  our 
Acts,  and  the  acknowledgement  of  it  involuntarily 
escaped  his  pen  ;  but  he  found  an  ingenious  means 
of  turning  this  remark  against  the  probity  of  the 
historian:  "  There  are  some  beautiful  passages,"  he 
says,  "  but  evidently  taken  from  Tertullian,"  imply- 
ing that  the  narrator  made  use  of  Tertullian  in  com- 
posing the  speeches  of  his  heroes.  It  is  very  true 
that  some  points  of  resemblance  may  be  found  between 
the  Apology  of  the  eloquent  African  and  the  dia- 
logues and  responses  of  the  interrogatories  ;  but  what 
inference  can  be  drawn  from  this  except  an  additional 
confirmation  of  the  truth  of  the  Acts  ? 

At  this  time,  all  Rome  was  speaking  of  that  mag- 
nificent Defence  of  Christianity,  which,  combining 
all  the  arguments  of  preceding  Apologies,  had  ele- 

*  Matt,  x   18-20. 


354  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

"vated  the  Christian  cause  to  the  highest  degree  of 
moral  grandeur.  It  was  only  natural,  therefore,  that 
the  Christians,  in  their  replies  to  the  magistrates  of 
the  Empire,  should  repeat  the  energetic  sentences 
which  had  so  lately  thrilled  the  Senate.  Our  heroes 
were  contemporaries  of  Tertullian,  and,  consequently, 
might  have  spoken  like  him ;  but  we  find  it  difficult 
to  believe  that  the  compiler  of  the  Acts,  whose  care- 
less and  unadorned  style  bears  no  resemblance  to  the 
powerful  diction  of  the  Apology,  could  even  have 
conceived  the  idea  of  borrowing  from  such  a  master- 
piece. 

Tillemont  considers  Cecilia's  manner  of  addressing 
the  prefect,  and  her  invectives  against  the  princes, 
another  improbable  circumstance.  Her  freedom  of 
language  scandalized  him,  and  we  can  readily  under- 
stand that  more  than  one  Catholic  in  the  reign  of 
Louis  XIV.,  thought  it  a  sufficient  argument  for 
rejecting  Acts  in  which  Christian  liberty  is  so  fear- 
lessly proclaimed.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by  a 
confusion  of  ideas  which  had  become  prevalent,  re- 
specting the  spirit  and  manners  of  the  early  Christ- 
ians, a  confusion  which  still  exists  in  many  minds. 
A  more  liberal  appreciation  of  the  actions  and  words 
of  the  saints,  would  have  enabled  the  world  to  under- 
stand, that  if  it  be  glorious  to  suffer  death  with  the 
meekness  of  a  lamb,  led  to  the  slaughter,*  it  is  no 
less  glorious  to  protest  against  iniquity,  and  to  de 
nounce  to  earthly  rulers,  the  nullity  of  their  rights, 
and  the  injustice  of  their  actions,  when  they  use 
against  God  and  His  Church,  that  power  which  they 

*  Isaiah,  liii.  7. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  355 

could  not  have  received  unless  it  had  been  given 
them  from  above. 

Moreover,  Cecilia  did  not  in  her  energetic  replies, 
spit  in  the  face  of  her  judge,  as  Eulalia  did  ;*  nor  did 
she,  like  St  Andronicus,  answer  the  prefect  who  re- 
proached him  with  insulting  the  Emperors :  "  Yes,  I 
have  cursed  and  will  curse  these  Emperors  who 
overturn  the  world  in  their  thirst  for  blood.  May 
God  overthrow  them  with  His  mighty  arm ;  may  He 
crush  and  annihilate  them  ;  may  He  visit  them  with 
His  anger,  that  they  may  know  of  what  crimes  they 
are  guilty  in  persecuting  the  Christians."! 

Is  it  necessary  to  give  other  examples?  Julian, 
uncle  of  the  Apostate,  and  created  by  him  governor 
of  the  province  of  the  East,  when  cruelly  tormenting 
St.  Theodoret,  a  priest  of  the  Church  of  Antiocb, 
dared  to  demand  his  obedience  to  the  Emperor's 
edict,  by  quoting  the  following  text  of  Scripture  : 
"  The  hearts  of  kings  are  in  the  hand  of  God."  The 
martyr  replied :  "  These  words  are  written  of  a  king 
who  knows  and  serves  God,  but  not  of  a  tyrant  who 
adores  and  serves  idols."  "Fool!"  exclaimed  the 
governor,  "  doyou  dare  to  call  the  emperor  a  tyrant  ?"J 

*  Martyr  ad  ista  nihil :  sed  enim 
Infremit,  inque  tyranni  oculos 
Sputa  jacit. 
Ruinart.   Acta  sincera.  Martyrium  S.  'Eulalice  Virginia,  p.  499. 
\  Ego  maledixi  et  inaledico  potestates,  et   sanguibibulos    qui 
saeculum  everterunt,   quos   Deus    brachio  suo   alto   evertat,  et 
conterat,  et  perdat,  et  det  super  eos  iram  ;  ut  seiant  quid  agant 
in  servos  Dei.    Ruinart.    Acta   SS.  Taracki,  Prohi  ei  Andronici^ 
page  487. 

t  Julianus  dixit  :  Vol  nunc  time  deOS,  et  fao  qua  al>  Impera- 
tore  sunt  jussa,  quia  soriptum  est  tibi :  Cor.  regis  in  man*  Dei, 
Theodoritus  respondit :  Cos  Regis  cognosoentie  Deum  soriptum 


35G  LIFE   0F   SAIXT   CECILIA. 

14  If  he  gives  such  orders  as  you  say,  and  if  he  be  the 
man  you  represent  him,"  answered  Theodoret,  "  he 
is  not  only  a  tyrant,  but  the  most  wretched  of  men." 
Christian  liberty  was  no  less  fearlessly  asserted  in 
the  peaceful  days  that  succeeded  the  age  of -Persecu- 
tions. Saint  Hilary  of  Poitiers,  in  his  sublime  invec- 
tive against  Constantius,  branded  this  prince  with 
the  name  of  tyrant,  and  did  not  fear  to  add  :  "  What 
I  say  to  thee,  Constantius,  I  would  have  said  to  Nero. 
Decius  and  Maximian*  should  have  heard  it  from  my 
lips."  We  find  in  every  century,  similar  traits  of 
courage.  The  recital  of  them  would  startle  the  uni- 
versal effeminacy  of  the  present  generation.  We 
need  to  study  diligently,  the  manners  of  our  ances- 
tors in  the  faith,  who  so  generously  defended  that 
precious  deposit,  which  we  find  it  so  difficult  to  pre- 
serve. These  public  protestations  of  Christian  liberty, 
far  exceed  Cecilia's  courageous  replies  to  Almachius, 
which  Tillemont  considers  a  proof  of  the  falsity  of 
her  Acts.  He  nevertheless,  defends  the  holy  audacity 
of  St.  Andronicus,  and  is  only  scandalized  when  he 
encounters  that  same  audacity  in  a  much  milder 
form  in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.  We  will  cite  his 
own  words :  "  We  find  in  nearly  all  the  authentic 
histories  of  the  martyrs,  now  extant,  that  they  were 
very  respectful  to  the  sovereign  powers,  and  practised 

est  esse  in  manu  Dei,  non  cor  tyranni  adorantis  idola.  Julianus 
dixit :  Stulte,  tyrannum  vocas  Imperatorem.  Theodoritus  res- 
pondit :  Si  talia  jubet,  et  talis  est  ut  dicis  :  non  solum  tyrannus 
ditendus  est,  sed  miserrimus  omnium  hominum.  Passio  sancti 
2'heodoriti,  page  659. 

*  Proclamo  tibi,  Constanti,  quod  Neroni  locuturus  fuissem, 
quod  ex  me  Decius  et  Maximianus  audiront.  Adversus  Constant 
tium,  lib.  i.  page  113. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA  357 

that  meekness  so  frequently  recommended  by  St.  Paul. 
But  St.  Paul  himself  fearlessly  called  his  judge  a  whited 
wall,  and  threatened  him  with  the  anger  of  God.  St. 
Stephen,  and  even  our  Saviour,  speak  to  the  Jews 
with  seeming  harshness.  The  frightful  cruelties 
practised  against  the  Christians  were  sufficient  to  ex- 
cite the  just  indignation  of  the  martyrs.  These 
Saints  hated  what  God  hates,  without  losing  their 
repose  and  tranquillity  of  soul,  and  they  are  not  to 
be  blamed  for  expressing  their  condemnation  of  what 
they  felt  to  be  wrong.  We  speak  of  the  fire,  as  well 
as  of  the  oil,  of  charity ;  and  the  more  justice  is  loved, 
the  greater  zeal  and  horror  is  felt  for  injustice.  It 
is  certain  that  God  acted  and  suffered  too  visibly  in 
His  saints,  to  permit  us  to  doubt  for  a  moment  that 
His  spirit  was  with  them,  according  to  His  promise. 
Therefore  we  cannot  but  respect  the  apparent  harsh- 
ness of  their  words,  although  this  harshness  should 
not  be  unadvisedly  imitated,  lest  impatience,  bitter- 
ness, or  hatred,  rather  than  zeal  for  God  and  for  jus- 
tice, should  actuate  us  in  following  this  example  of 
the  Saints."* 

In  thus  exposing  the  entire  system  of  Tillemont 
in  its  bearing  upon  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  we  think 
we  have  enabled  the  reader  to  estimate  the  value 
of  the  criticism  and  the  intention  of  the  critic.  We 
are  writing  in  a  country  where  many  honest  men 
persist  in  considering  Jansenism  as  only  a  system 
of  exaggerated  morality.  This  is  not  the  place  to 
explain  to  such  men  to  what  an  extent  the  dogmas 

*  Memoires  pour  servir  a  l'Histoire  Boclesiastique,  tom<>  v., 
page  286. 

29 


358  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

of  this  sect,  condemned  by  the  Church,  are  opposed 
to  Catholicity.  Let  them  study  the  history  of  Catho- 
lic truth  and  the  perils  to  which  it  has  been  exposed 
from  a  heresy  which  so  artfully  insinuates  the  most 
odious  theories  of  Calvin.  In  a  question  of  mere 
criticism,  our  duty  is  simply  to  remove  all  doubts 
concerning  the  truth  of  an  historical  narrative,  dear 
to  the  Church  and  to  the  faithful  at  all  times,  for  the 
santification  of  Christian  souls.  It  does  not  enter 
into  our  plan  to  expose  the  reasons  which  have  in- 
duced the  Jansenists  to  suppress  all  the  precious, 
charming,  and  soul-inspiring  traditions  offered  by  the 
Catholic  Church  to  her  children ;  we  prefer  con- 
cluding this  chapter  with  the  beautiful  words  of  St. 
Paul  to  the  Philippians :  "  Finally,  brethren,  what- 
soever things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are 
pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things 
are  of  good  report ;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if 
there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things."  Phil, 
iv.,  8. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

EVENTS   RELATING  to  CECILIA   AND   HER   BASILICA   THROUGHOUT  THE 
EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY. 

It  is  refreshing  to  return  from  the  field  of  contro- 
versy and  rest  for  a  moment  under  the  shadow  of  our 
dear  Basilica,  so  justly  proud  of  its  noble  treasure. 
In  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  it  was 
entrusted  to  two  titulary  Cardinals,  who  gloried  in 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  359 

imitating  the  munificence  of  Paul  Emilius  Sfondrato. 
The  first  was  Francis  Aquaviva,  born  of  an  illustrious 
Neapolitan  family.  Before  receiving  the  purple,  he 
had  occupied  with  distinction  several  important  offices 
of  the  Eoman  Court.  He  was  sent  as  Nuncio  to 
Spain,  where  he  faithfully  fulfilled  the  duties  of  his 
elevated  and  important  mission.  He  was  residing  in 
that  country  when  the  war  of  the  Succession  broke 
out.  Aquaviva  embraced  the  cause  of  Philip  V., 
who  reposed  such  confidence  in  his  devotedness  and 
firmness,  that  at  one  time,  when  he  was  trembling 
for  his  crown,  he  entrusted  to  the  Nuncio's  care  the 
Queen  Maria  Louisa  of  Savoy.  Aquaviva,  with  an 
escort  of  five  hundred  cavaliers,  traversed  the  hostile 
territory,  and  never  left  the  queen  until  he  had  placed 
her  in  safety  from  the  scene  of  war* 

Created  Cardinal  by  Clement  on  the  17th  of  Mayu 
1706,  he  was  at  first  appointed  Titulary  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew's Church  on  the  island;  but  three  years 
after  >  he  changed  this  church  for  that  of  St.  Cecilia, 
on  account  of  his  great  devotion  to  this  holy  Martyr. 
The  Basilica  at  this  period  needed  a  restoration 
which  Aquaviva  executed  according  to  the  prevail- 
ing taste.  Sfondrato  had  at  one  time  conceived  the 
idea  of  concealing  the  wood  work  of  the  nave  by  a 
rich  soffit,  ornamented  with  gilded  panels  and  paint- 
ings; but  he  was  deterred  by  the  fear  that  the  columns 
were  not  sufficiently  strong  to  support  this  additional 
weight.  Aquaviva  made  the  experiment  and  suc- 
ceeded perfectly.     The  soffit,  which  still  exists,  was 

*  Gtuarnaooi,  tome  li.,  p.  73. 


360  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

painted  and  decorated  by  Sebastian  Conca *     Un- 
fortunately it  was  impossible  to  execute  the  plan 
without  nearly  destroying  the  antique  and  venerable 
aspect  of  the  Basilica.     The  columns  were  totally 
concealed  by  heavy  masonry,  and  the  nave  was  trans- 
formed into  a  series  of  arches.     The  triumphal  arch 
was  sacrificed  together  with  its  mosaics;    and  the 
paintings  representing  the  succession  of  the  Popes, 
and  scenes  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  painted 
by  order  of  Psfechal  and  restored  by  Sfondrato,  were 
irretrievably  annihilated  "to  the  deep  regret  of  the 
amateurs  of  venerable  antiquity,"  says  Marangoni, 
who   witnessed    this    deplorable   ruin.     This   same 
author  likewise  tells  us  that  the  antique  inscriptions 
forming  the  pavement,  many  of  which  were  Chris- 
tian, wrere  pitilessly  destroyed.f     This  restoration, 
m which  might  have  been  more  wisely  planned,  was 
nevertheless  a  testimony  of  the  Cardinal's  devotion 
to  Saint  Cecilia.     He  faithfully  prayed  at  the  mar- 
tyr's tomb,  and  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  his  own 
mother  and  his  niece  join  the  community  of  religious 
who  took  charge  of  this  sanctuary.     He  wras  so  re- 
nowned for  his  piety  towards  the  illustrious  virgin, 
that  the  Queen  of  Spain  desiring  to  offer  him  a  pre- 
sent as  a  proof  of  her  esteem  and  gratitude,  sent  him  a 
picture  of  St.  Cecilia  which  she  had  painted  herself.^ 

*  Platner  and  Bunsen  err  in  attributing  the  destruction  of  the 
portico  paintings,  and  the  taking  away  of  the  ambons,  to  the 
two  Cardinals  Aquaviva. 

|  Non  senza  dolore  degliamanti  della  venerabile  antichita. 
Marangoni  Cose  gentilesche  ad  uso  delle  chiese,  p.  311. 

t  For  this  fact  see  Laderchi  in  his  dedicatory  epistle  of  the 
Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  to  the  same  Cardinal. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  361 

The  great  works  undertaken  in  the  Basilica  by- 
Paul  Emilius  Sfondrato,  had  inspired  Bosio  with  the 
idea  of  editing  his  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia;  the  labors  of 
Francis  Aquaviva  suggested  to  James  Laderchi  of 
the  Roman  Oratory,  the  thought  of  offering  the 
Cardinal  a  more  complete  life  of  the  holy  Martyr. 
His  intention  was  to  insert,  century  by  century,  all 
that  had  been  written  concerning  St.  Cecilia,  the 
whole  to  be  comprised  in  three  quarto  volumes ;  only 
the  first  two  appeared.  They  are  entitled  :  S.  Caeci- 
liae  Virginiset  Marty ris  Acta  et  trans-Tiberina  Basi- 
lica, sseculorum  singulorum  monumentis  asserta  et 
illustrata,  1723.  The  author  reproduces  Bosio's  work, 
literally  introducing,  in  chronological  order,  all  the 
documents  and  quotations  which  refer  to  his  subject. 
This  work,  which  has  become  very  rare  even  in 
Italy,  is  remarkable  for  its  typographical  beauty  ;  it 
is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  two  volumes  given 
to  the  public,  do  not  bring  us  down  to  the  Invention 
of  Cecilia's  body  in  1599.  The  notes  added  by  the 
compiler,  are  unfortunately  few  in  number.  The 
third  volume  was  intended  to  embrace  many  details, 
the  loss  of  which  we  must  deeply  regret.  Notwith- 
standing this,  Laderchi  merits,  by  this  important 
compilation,  a  distinguished  place  among  the  authors 
who  have  dedicated  their  efforts  to  the  glory  of 
Saint  Cecilia.  Two  years  had  scarcely  elapsed  after 
the  publication  of  the  first  volume  of  this  work, 
when  Francis  Aquaviva  died,  on  the  eighth  of  Janu- 
ary, 1725.  He  had  been  elevated  to  the  Suburbioary 
Bishopric  of  Sabina ;  but  Benedicl  XIIL  had  per- 
mitted him  to  retain  in  commcmlam,  as  Paul  Kmilius 

29* 


362  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Sfondrato  had  done,  the  Presbyterial  Title  of  St 
Cecilia.  Aquaviva  was  interred  in  this  Church  near 
his  uncle,  Cardinal  Octavio  who  had  been  Titulary 
of  the  Basilica  in  the  preceding  century.  The  follow- 
ing epitaph  was  placed  over  his  tomb : 

FRANCISVS  S.  E.  E.  CARDINALIS  DE  ACQVAYIVA 

ET  ARAGONIA  EPlSCOPVS  SABINENSIS 

HVIVS  ECCLESI^E  COMMENDATARIVS 

SACRIQVE  CCENOBII 

AC  OMNIVM  HISPANIC  REGNORVM 

APVD  SANCTAM  SEDEM  PROTECTOR. 

IN  TEMPLO  DECOREM  DILEXIT  ET  AVXIT. 

PROPE  CARDINALIS  OCTAVII 

PATRVI  SVI  CINERES  HIC  MONVMENTYM 

SIBI  VIVENS  POSVIT 

ANNO  IVBILiEI  MDCCXXV. 

OBIIT  DIE  VIII.  MENSIS  JANVARII  MDCCXXV. 

JETATIS  SV^E  AN.  LIX.  MENS.  XI.  DIE.  XXV. 

Trojano  Aqua  viva,  a  nephew  of  Francis,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Cardinalate  by  Clement  XII.,  on  the  1st 
October,  1732.  The  same  Pope  appointed  him 
Titulary  of  St.  Cecilia.*  He  appears  to  have  con- 
tinued the  works  commenced  by  his  uncle  in  the 
Basilica ;  it  is  certain  that  the  exterior  porch,  which 
was  constructed  upon  the  plan  of  Ferdinand  Fuga, 
is  due  to  his  munificence.f  The  porch  is  quite 
modern,  but  not  wanting  in  grandeur.  We  should 
at  least  give  credit  to  the  different  restorers  of  the 
Basilica,  for  having  respected  the  old  brick  cupola 

*  He  died  on  the  21st  of  March.  1747,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Cecilia. 

t  Platner  and  Bunsen,  tome  iii.  p.  639. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  363 

which  towers  above  all  their  modern  constructions, 
as  a  memorial  of  the  devotion  of  the  middle  age 
towards  Cecilia.  They  have  also  faithfully  preserved 
the  interior  arrangement  of  the  edifice,  which  even 
since  the  taking  away  of  the  ambons  and  the  substi- 
tuting of  arcades  for  columns,  bears  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  the  Christian  Churches  of  the  primitive 
ages. 

In  the  year,  1729,  the  sanctuary  of  St.  Cecilia,  on 
the  Campus  Martius,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Eoman  Pontiff.  The  little  Church  was  falling  into 
ruins ;  it  needed  rebuilding.  Benedict  XIIL,  who 
proved  his  devotion  to  the  Saints  by  many  monuments 
still  existing  in  Eome,  was  unwilling  to  yield  to 
another  the  honor  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the 
new  edifice.  In  thus  venerating  the  dwelling  where 
Cecilia  had  passed  her  youth,  he  thought  it  his  duty 
to  favor  the  devotion  testified  by  a  confraternity  in 
honor  of  St.  Blaise,  to  one  of  the  altars  of  this  Church. 
The  Pontiff  ordered  that  the  new  temple  should  be 
placed  under  the  joint  invocation  of  St.  Cecilia  and 
St.  Blaise;  and  as  if  to  prove,  that  in  admitting 
another  Saint  to  share  the  honor  of  the  great  Martyr, 
he  intended  no  disparagement  to  the  latter,  he 
decided  that  the  Church  should  bear  the  name  of  the 
Queen  of  Virgins.  From  that  time,  it  was  called: 
Santa  Maria  del  divino  amove:  An  inscription  placed 
in  the  nave  of  this  Church,  records  the  Pontiff's 
intention.     It  is  as  follows  : 

BENEDICTO  XIII.  l'ONT.     OPT.   MAX. 

QVOD 

PATEliNAM  DIVA!:  OAECILIAB  DOMVM 


364  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

IN  EIVSDEM  VIRGINIS  ET  MARTYRIS  HONOREM 

ET  DIVI  BLASSTI  DICTAM 

KNIVBIA  TEMPORVM  PEXE  COLLAPSAM 

IACTO  SOLEMNITER  PRIMO  LAPIDE 

DIE  XXV.  IVLII.  ANNO  MDCCXXIX. 

A  FVN  DA  MENTIS  RESTITVERIT 

ET  DEIPARAE  MARIAE  SACRAM  QVOQVE 

IN  POSTERVM  ESSE  IVSSERIT.* 

The  Pontiff  removed  to  the  sacristy,  the  charming 
fresco  of  the  fifteenth  century,  which  we  have  already 
mentioned;  as  well  as  a  marble  tablet  discovered  in 
1504,  in  rebuilding  the  principal  altar  of  this  sanc- 
tuary. This  tablet  bore  an  inscription,  attesting  a 
consecration  of  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  de  domo,  on 
the  Campus  Martius,  in  the  year  1131,  probably  the 
period  at  which  it  was  rebuilt.  The  zeal  of  the  pious 
confraternity,  which  assembled  in  this  church,  led  it 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  these  facts : 

VETVSTISSIMAM    IMAGINEM 

AC   LAPIDEM   HVNC   CONSECRATIONIS 

ANTIQVAE   HVIVS    ECCLESIAE 

S.  CAECILIAE   VIRG-.  ET  Iff. 

ANNO    MCXXXI   PERACTAE    TESTEM 

SVB  EIVSDEM  ARA  MAXIMA 

ANNO  MDIV  REPERTVM 

BENEDICTVS  XIII  P.  M.  ORD.  PRAEDICAT. 

*  To  Benedict  XIII.  a  great  and  good  Pontiff,  for  having  rebuilt 
the  paternal  dwelling  of  S.  Cecilia,  consecrated  in  honor  of  this 
Virgin  and  of  St.  Blaise  ;  for  having  on  the  25th  of  July,  1729, 
solemnly  laid  the  first  stone,  the  ancient  edifice  having  been 
almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  time  ;  and  for  having 
decreed  that  the  Church  should,  henceforth  be  dedicated  to 
Mary,  the  Mother  of  God 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECTLTA.  3g5 

ANNO    MDCCXXIX 
HVG  TRANSFERRI  MANDAVIT  * 

Another  glorious  fact  relating  to  St.  Cecilia  and 
proving  at  the  same  time  the  homage  rendered  by- 
France  to  the  great  martyr,  may  be  referred  to  the 
year  1741.  Our  readers  have  not  forgotten  the  mys- 
terious tomb  of  the  Callistus  Cemetery,  where  Cecilia 
reposed  for  six  centuries,  until  Paschal  transferred 
her  remains  to  the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica.  This 
humble  cell,  excavated  horizontally  in  the  tufo,  was 
lined  with  four  slabs  of  white  marble.  In  1741,  the 
upper  one,  which  had  been  solidly  fastened  to  the 
stone  with  a  thick  coating  of  lime,  was  the  only  one 
left. 

Paul  Hippolytede  Bovilliers,  Duke  of  St.  Aignan, 
Ambassador  from  the  King  of  France  to  the  Holy 
See,  in  his  ardent  devotion  to  St.  Cecilia,  solicited 
and  obtained  from  Benedict  XIV.,  the  favor  of  re- 
moving to  his  private  chapel  in  France,  this  piece 
of  marble,  which  had  been  sanctified  by  the  presence 
of  the  virgin's  body.  The  marble  was  respectfully 
detached  in  presence  of  two  learned  Eoman  archae- 
ologists, Boldetti  and  Marangoni,  and  presented  to 
the  Duke  of  St.  Aignan.  Guadagni,  the  Cardinal 
Vicar,  affixed  his  seal  to  it  ;f  and  the  precious  monu- 

*  Benedict  XIII.,  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  transferred  this  paint- 
ing to  this  place,  as  well  as  the  stone  attesting  the  consecration 
of  this  antique  church  of  St.  Cecilia,  Virgin  and  Martyr,  in  the 
year  1131  ;  the  stone  was  discovered  in  1504,  under  the  main 
altar. 

f  The  marble  was  in  two  pieces,  having  probably  been  frac- 
tured in  detaching  it  from  the  wall.  It  was  a  Little  over  live 
feet  long,  and  somewhat  more  than  two  feel  broad. 


36(5  LIFK   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

ment  was  carried  to  France,  and  deposited  in  the 
chapel  of  a  castle,  belonging  to  the  family  of  Bovil- 
liers,  where  it  is  still  preserved.  We  find  the  pre- 
ceding facts  in  a  document  of  great  interest  under  the 
name  of  Cardinal  Guadagni  *  We  are  most  happy 
to  mention  these  testimonies  of  the  piety  of  France 
towards  St.  Cecilia,  at  a  period  when  Jansenism  was 
endeavoring  to  blot  out  her  very  memory  from 
among  us. 

Tillemont's  principles  were  carried  to  scandalous 
lengths  by  Adrian  Baillet,  in  his  "  Lives  of  the 
Saints,''  published  in  1701.  A  prudent  and  learned 
writer  recently  said,  in  regard  to  certain  insinuations 
by  which  Baillet  seemed  desirous  of  sapping  the 
truth  of  evangelical  facts:  "  These  assertions  would 
be  sufficient  to  create  serious  doubts  respecting  the 
orthodoxy  of  the  writer,  if  it  were  not  notorious  that 
he  has  frequently  sacrificed  historical  truth  to  the 
interest  of  the  sect  whose  principles  he  advocates ; 
and  were  it  not  also  well  known  that  by  his  bold 
freedom  of  thought  and  expression,  he  prepares  the 
minds  of  his  partisans  for  open  infidelity."f 

This  is  not  the  place  to  examine  the  character  of 

.  Baillet's  genius,  such  as  we  find  it  in  his  biographies 

of  Descartes,;]:   Eicher,§  and   in  his  account  of  the 

difficulties  between  Boniface  VIII.  and  Philip  the 

Fair;||  nor  to  speak  of  his  work  upon  "  Devotion  to 

*  See  the  certificate  in  Marangoni,  Cose  gentilesche  ad  uso 
delle  Chiese,  page  426-429. 

t  Unpublished  Memoirs  upon  the  Apostolate  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalen,  vol.  ii.  p.  154. 

X  1691.  Two  volumes  in  4° 

§  1714.     "  "         "  12° 

I  1717.     "  "         "   12° 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  367 

the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  veneration  which  should 
be  paid  her  ;"*  but  we  must  acknowledge  that  his 
"  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  replete  with  erudition  and 
with  errors,  influenced  the  public  much  more  than  the 
Memoirs  of  Tillemont.  Although  all  the  works  of 
Baillet  are  on  the  Eoman  Index,  this  author  still 
ranks  in  France  as  the  highest  authority  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  hagiography.  Happily,  his  influence 
has  been  somewhat  lessened  in  our  days  by  the  transla- 
tion of  Alban  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Saints." 

Baillet's  article  upon  St.  Cecilia,  is  nothing  more 
than  a  violent  tirade,  in  which  he  reproduces  with 
his  accustomed  acrimony,  the  objections  of  Tillemont. 
We  would  fear  to  soil  our  pages  by  quoting  his  con- 
temptuous and  disdainful  expressions  in  speaking  of 
a  Spouse  and  Martyr  of  Christ,  whose  name  is  daily 
pronounced  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  Baillet  mentions, 
however,  Sfondrato's  discovery  of  Cecilia's  body,  and 
declares  that  the  account  of  this  discovery,  is  the 
most  ancient  record  we  have  of  her.  But  he  relates 
the  circumstances  of  this  event  in  a  very  abridged 
manner ;  frequently  deviating  from  the  truth,  as  if 
he  feared  to  meet  with  some  confirmation  of  the  Acts 
whose  authority  he  wished  to  destroy.f 

*  1694.  Two  volumes  in  12° 

f  The  only  argument  produced  by  him  against  the  Acts,  and 
neglected  by  Tillemont,  consists  in  saying:  "That  the  Roman 
Calendar  arranged  under  Pope  Liberius,  about  the  middle  of 
the  fourth  century,  makes  no  mention  of  Cecilia  ;  which  show-/' 
he  adds,  "that  she  did  not  sutler  martyrdom  in  Rome."  It  is 
easy  to  prove  that  this  objection  has  no  weight.  This  Calendar, 
although  very  valuable,  does  not  represent  the  oomplete  Mar- 
tyrology  of  the  Roman  Church  in  the  fourth  century.  It  is  true 
that  Cecilia  is  not  mentioned;  but  neither  are  the   holy  Topes 


368  LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA. 

But  the  influence  of  Tillemont  and  Bailiet  pro- 
duced one  fatal  result  which  they  had  not  probably 
anticipated.  Not  only,  thanks  to  their  efforts,  did 
the  name  of  St.  Cecilia  lose  in  France  the  aureole  of 
glory  which  had  hitherto  surrounded  it,  but  the 
moment  had  arrived  when  even  the  Liturgy  took 
part  in  this  singular  conspiracy  against  the  holy  mar- 
tyr. 

Until  then,  the  Eoman  tradition  of  the  Divine 
Office  had  held  full  sway  in  France,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  glory  of  Cecilia  shone  with  undiminished 
lustre  within  the  precincts  of  the  Church.  But  in 
the  eighteenth  century,  the  French  Liturgy  was 
revised,  and  all  those  saints  excluded  who  were 
not  honorably  mentioned  by  Tillemont  and  Bailiet. 

In  1680,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  F?anoois  de 
Harley,  had  appointed  a  committee  to  correct  the 
Breviary  of  his  church.  The  Abbe  Chastelain,  who 
was  the  soul  of  this  committee,  insisted  upon  retain- 
ing the  record  of  St.  Cecilia's  life,  with  the  Anthems 
and  Eesponses  taken  from  her  Acts.  This  will  not 
appear  strange,  if  we  remember  the  intimacy  exist- 
ing between  Chastelain  and  Father  Papebrook,  both 
bold  critics,  but  far  removed  from  the  scandalous 
audacity  of  the  Jansenistic  school.  The  Jesuits  of 
Anvers,  as  we  before  stated,  had  pronounced  in  favor 

Linus,  Cletus,  Evaristus,  Alexander,  Telesphorus,  Hyginus, 
Anicetus,  Soter,  Eleutherius,  etc.,  nor  the  holy  martyrs  Proces- 
sus and  Martinian,  Nereus  and  Achilleus,  Primus  and  Felicianus, 
Marcellinus  and  Peter,  Boniface,  Chrysogonus,  etc.,  nor  the 
holy  virgins,  Flavia,  Domitilla,  Petronilla,  Prisca,  Praxedes, 
Pudentiana,  etc.,  nor  the  holy  women  Symphorosa,  Felicitas,  etc. 
Bailiet  agrees,  nevertheless,  that  all  these  saints  belonged  to 
the  Church  of  Rome. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  3G9 

of  our  Acts,  that  they  were  both  ancient  and  genuine. 
Owing  to  the  influence  of  these  two  learned  and 
strong-minded  men,  the  record  of  St.  Cecilia's  life 
was  retained  in  the  Parisian  Liturgy.* 

But  when  this  generation  of  learned  men  had  de- 
scended into  the  tomb,  and  when  the  Church  of  Paris 
had  called  upon  sectaries  to  revise  her  Breviary,  all 
the  Catholic  traditions  relating  to  St.  Cecilia  were 
sacrificed.  The  instincts  of  the  sect  and  the  oracles 
of  Port  Eoyal,  required  it.  The  Parisian  Breviary 
of  1736,  contained  a  record  of  St.  Cecilia's  life,  which 
was  successively  introduced  into  the  greater  number 
of  the  Dioceses  of  France.  In  it,  the  actions  of  St. 
Cecilia  are  passed  over  in  silence.  There  is  some 
mention  in  the  latter  part,  of  the  Invention  of  Ceci- 
lia's body  by  Sfondrato,  but  it  is  given  according  to 
the  inaccurate  relation  of  Bailiet. 

From  that  time,  these  heroic  scenes,  blotted  out 
from  the  Breviary  of  the  priests,  were  never  recalled 
to  the  memory  of  the  faithful.  The  abridged  L 
of  the- Saints  were  thenceforth  compiled  according  to 
the  same  plan,  and  we  are  fully  aware  that  our 
attempt  to  avenge  an  insult  offered  as  much  to  history 
as  to  the  Roman  Church,  will  awaken  much  surprise 
in  the  breasts  of  our  readers.  Such  is  the  legitimate 
fruit  of  that  artful  silence  which  the  Jansenistfl  bo 
often  employed,  and  with  so  much  success. 

The  ill-will  of  modern  liturgists  was  not  satisfied 

*  About  the  time  of  the  publication  of  Harlay'fl  Breviary, 
Santeuil  published  several  hymns  for  the  Offloe  of  St.  Cecilia, 
They  are  not  among  his  best  compositions,  but  they  al  least 
celebrate  the  virtues  and  actions  of  the  holy  martyr  ftOOOrding  to 
the  facts  recorded  in  her  Acts. 


370  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

with  effacing  the  account  of  Cecilia's  virtues  and 
actions  from  the  French  Breviary,  it  also  strove  to 
despoil  the  modest  virgin  of  the  beautiful  title  of 
Queen  of  Harmony,  with  which  for  nearly  three  cen- 
turies, Catholic  piety  had  loved  to  salute  her.  The 
Abbe  Lebeuf,  composer  of  the  new  French  Liturgi- 
cal music,  was  the  first  to  dispute  Cecilia's  title  to  the 
crown  of  harmony.  In  a  memoir,  under  the  form  of 
an  anonymous  letter  inserted  in  the  Mercurede  France* 
this  academician,  who  is  celebrated  for  his  erudition, 
assumed  the  very  easy  task  of  demonstrating  that  in 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  there  is  nothing  to  prove  that 
she  ever  performed  upon  any  musical  instrument ; 
but  this  was  not  the  question,  and  we  are  surprised 
that  an  antiquarian,  like  Lebeuf,  should  have  found 
it  necessary  to  waste  so  much  time  in  proving  to  us 
that  the  symbolical  attributes  assigned  to  the  saints, 
by  Christian  artists,  have  not  always  their  origin  in 
history.  Determined  to  seek  material  reasons  for  a 
fact  which  springs  only  from  sentiment,  the  Abbe 
Lebeuf,  after  criticising  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  in 
Tillemont's  spirit,  and  often  in  Tillemont's  own 
words,  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  idea  of  styl- 
ing St.  Cecilia  patroness  of  music,  arises  from  the 
fact  that  one  of  the  Anthems  in  her  Office  commen- 
ces with  these  words  :  Cantantibus  organis.  He  then 
seeks  the  origin  of  this  Anthem  in  that  passage  of 
the  Acts  which  speaks  of  the  musical  concert  at  the 
wedding  feast  of  Valerian  and  Cecilia.  He  did  not 
comprehend  the  meaning  of  these  touching  words: 
11  During  the  concert,  Cecilia  sang  also  in  her  heart  to 

*  Jan.   1732,  pages  21-46. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  371 

the  Lord."  He  understood  nothing  of  that  melody 
of  the  soul  which  ascends  to  the  Divine  fountain 
of  all  harmony,  and  sings  to  its  Creator,  even  amidst 
the  profane  concerts  of  earth.  He  translates  the  sen- 
tence in  the  following  manner:  "Cecilia  paid  no 
attention  to  the  music,  but  was  interiorly  absorbed 
in  God ;"  and  he  even  pities  those  who  blend  the 
idea  of  harmony  with  Cecilia's  name.  In  his  zeal 
for  reformation,  he  offers  musicians  their  choice 
among  the  following  patrons :  St.  Arnold  of  Juliers, 
Sts.  Dunstan,  Ado,  Nizier,  Gall  and  Prix  of  Clermont, 
Germain  of  Paris,  and  Aldric  of  Mans.  The  Abbe 
forgets  none  but  St.  Gregory  the  Great ;  however  this 
omission  can  scarcely  surprise  us  in  the  avowed 
enemy  of  the  Gregorian  chant. 

We  do  not  dwell  upon  the  tone  of  superiority  with 
which  the  Abbe  Lebeuf  criticises  and  censures  all 
that  was  composed  before  his  time ;  happily,  Chris- 
tian instinct  has  preserved  what  the  Abbe  would 
have  gladly  annihilated,  and  notwithstanding  his 
efforts  to  bury  St.  Cecilia  in  the  seclusion  of  convents, 
with  the  Agneses,  the  Lucys,  and  the  Agathas*  of 
antiquity,  the  Roman  virgin  still  retains  one  of  her 
most  touching  prerogatives.  The  Abbe  did  not  suc- 
ceed better  in  pointing  out  the  period  when  she  was 
first  honored  as  patroness  of  music ;  according  to  him 
it  was  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury.f  On  being  reminded  that  Raphael's  St.  Ce- 
cilia, painted  in  1513,  represents  her  seated,  with  a 
musical  instrument  resting  upon  her  knees,  while  her 
soul  is  absorbed  in  listening  to  the  concert  of  angels, 

*  Page  43.  t  Pag*  24. 


372  LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

he  was  somewhat  embarrassed  ;  but  he  defended  him- 
self in  a  second  letter*  by  saying  that  he  knew  the 
picture  perfectly  well,  and  that  he  had  had  reference 
to  it,  when  he  asserted  that  St.  Cecilia  was  first  pro- 
claimed patroness  of  music  in  Italy.  This  reply 
did  not,  however,  vindicate  the  learned  academician 
from  the  charge  of  anachronism. 

Besides,  Eaphael  was  not  the  only  artist  of  the 
sixteenth  century  who  represented  St.  Cecilia  with 
the  attributes  of  music.  At  the  same  period,  the 
German  artist,  Laike  of  Leyden,  painted  her,  accom- 
panied by  an  angel  holding  a  little  organ  upon  which 
she  plays.  The  picture  is  in  the  royal  gallery  at 
Munich.  About  the  middle  of  the  same  century, 
Garofolo  painted  a  magnificent  picture  in  which  he 
represents  St.  Cecilia  playing  the  organ  in  presence 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Anthony  of  Padua.f 

We  have  yet  to  show  the  facts  which  characterize 
the  progress  of  hagiographical  writings  throughout 
the  eighteenth  century,  relative  to  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia.  We  shall  begin  with  the  Bollandists.  Pape- 
brok  was  no  more,  but  his  successors  continued  with 

*  Mercure  de  France,  June,  1732,  pages  1081-1088. 

t  St.  Cecilia  was  acknowledged  patroness  of  music  long  before 
the  foundation  of  the  Academies  of  Music  which  were  placed 
under  her  protection.  Nevertheless,  we  see  in  the  year  1601,  a 
celebrated  musical  confraternity  at  Rouen  bearing  the  title  of 
St.  Cecilia,  upon  a  deed  by  which  they  renew  their  previous 
statutes.  (Ouin  Lacroix.  Histoire  des  corporations  et  des  con- 
freries  de  Rouen,  page  453.)  At  the  same  period,  the  musicians 
of  Rouen  established  their  Academy  of  St.  Cecilia.  (Alfieri, 
Notizie  storiche  sulla  Congregazione  et  Academia  di  Santa  Cecilia, 
and  an  excellent  article  of  M.  Morelot,  in  the  Revue  de  Musique 
religieuse  de  M.  Danjou,  November,  1845. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  873 

zeal  and  erudition  the  great  work  to  which  he  has 
so  gloriously  attached  his  name.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  the  nineteenth  century,  that  they  were 
ready  to  enter  into  the  lists  with  Tillemont  and 
Baillet  on  the  controverted  question  of  St.  Cecilia's 
Acts,  which  the  authority  of  the  two  learned  Jansen- 
ists  seemed  to  have  settled  forever  in  Catholic  France. 
We  see  the  sad  influence  of  these  hagiographers  in 
the  following  fact.  When  Father  du  Sollier  pub- 
lished his  edition  of  Usuard's  Martyrology,  he  spoke 
of  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  with  moderation,  indeed, 
since  he  could  not  forget  the  respect  which  he  owed 
to  his  predecessors,  Henschenius  and  Papebrok,  but 
at  the  same  time,  with  a  reserve  which  proved  the 
influence  exercised  by  the  boldness  of  French  criti- 
cism over  the  best  disposed  minds.  When  speaking 
of  the  martyrdom  of  Sts.  Tiburtius  and  Valerian,  the 
learned  Jesuit  contents  himself  with  remarking  that 
this  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  a  discussion 
which  properly  belongs  to  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia.* 
He  repeats  the  same  assertion  when  relating  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  Urban. f  But  when  he  comes  at 
length  to  St.  Cecilia,  he  merely  lays  before  its  the 
controversy  concerning  her  Acts,  without  entering 
into  a  discussion  of  its  merits.  Tillemont's  objection 
as  to  the  improbability  of  a  persecution  against  the 
Christians  under  Alexander  Severus,  seems  to  make 

*  Neclocusliic,  necotmm  est  controversion!  [11am  expendere,  de 
qua  in  Actis  nostris  disputari  poterit  xxii.  Novembris.  Solh  rc'**. 
Martyr ologium  Usuardi  illustratum,  tome  i.,  page  210, 

f  Ne  quid  hid  temore  definiamus,  aut  extra  propositnm  eyage- 

mur,  omnia  tutius  ad  xxii.  Novembris,  de  Lutegro  cxaminaiida 
explicandaque  re  mittimus.     Ibid*  page  294. 


374    .  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

some  impression  on  his  mind  :*  "  however,"  he  frankly 
adds,  "  the  opinion  of  Baronius,  of  Florentini,  of  the 
others  whom  I  have  cited,  and  of  the  whole 
Catholic  world,  are  all  in  favor  of  the  Acts  of  St. 
Cecilia.f  With  respect  to  Tillemont's  idea  of  call- 
ing our  Saint  a  Sicilian  virgin,  on  the  authority 
of  Fortunatus,  Du  Sollier  considers  the  proposition 
perfectly  paradoxical^  but,  again  deserting  the 
arena,  he  refers  the  decision  of  this  controversy  to 
himself  or  his  successors  at  a  later  period. 

Laderchi,  more  courageous  and  probably  more 
frank  than  du  Sollier,  energetically  undertook  the 
defence  of  the  Acts  of  Saint  Cecilia,  and  devoted  an 
essay  in  the  work  we  have  mentioned  to  this  object ; 
but  Tillemont  and  Baillet  were  so  highly  respected 
even  in  Italy,  that  he  did  not  venture  to  give  their 
names,  although  he  translated  their  objections  word 
for  word.  At  the  same  time,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
attribute  to  the  influence  of  Jansenism,  the  incredulity 
of  certain  men  with  regard  to  these  venerable  Acts, 
and  asked  "  if  the  Church  and  historical  science  had  de- 
finitively passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  new  sect?" 
Francis  Bianchini,  in  his  commentary  upon  Anasta- 
sius,  was  equally  sincere  and  firm,  and  brought  to 

t  Praecipua  quae  a  recentioribus  objicitur  eaque  capitalis  diffi- 
cultas,  in  eo  consistit  potissimum  quod  ut  alibi  etiam  insinuavi, 
Alexandrit  emporibus,  tain  acerbaimmanisquepersecutio,  qualis 
in  istis  Actis  describitur,  tarn  atrocia  passim  tormenta  Christianis 
illata,  quadrare  prorsus  non  videantur.  Martyrologium  Usuardi 
illustration,  tome  ii.,  page  692. 

f  Pro  his  (Actis)  cum  Baronio,  Florentinio,  aliisque  certant 
laudati  scriptores,  certat  totius  orbis  catholici  pervulgata  opinio. 
Ibid. 

X  Paradoxamultis  aeque  ac  mihi  videtur  hujusmodi  sententia. 
Ibid. 


LIFE    OF   SAN1T   CECILIA.  375 

the  support  of  the  ancient  cause,  the  weight  of  his 
authority  and  profound  erudition.  He  also  thought 
that  the  opinions  of  Baronius,  Bosio,  and  Papebrok, 
might  be  accepted  without  disgrace.  In  1752,  ap- 
peared a  new  champion  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  learned 
Canon  Moretti  undertook  to  write  the  history  of  St. 
Caliistus  and  of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Mary  beyond  the 
Tiber.  The  plan  of  this  work  compelled  him  to  ex- 
amine the  great  controversy  concerning  the  Martyrs 
under  Alexander  Severus.  In  so  doing,  this  learned 
and  talented  man  rendered  an  invaluable  service  to 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  although  the  question  con- 
cerning them  entered  but  indirectly  into  his  thesis. 

The  martyrdom  of  St.  Caliistus  was  incontestable, 
as  well  as  the  fact  that  he  suffered  under  Alexander 
Severus  ;  therefore,  there  were  Martyrs  in  Eome  even 
under  this  prince,  otherwise  so  favorable  to  Christi- 
anity. The  demonstration  of  this  particular  fact,  led 
to  that  of  the  general  thesis.  Moretti  takes  up  that 
thesis,  and  with  resistless  erudition,  demonstrates  it 
step  by  step,  until  he  triumphantly  settles  the  con- 
troversy in  a  manner  conformable  to  the  opinion  of 
Baronius.  Although  Moretti  had  not  investigated 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  individually,  yet  his  triumphant 
solution  of  the  great  question  with  which  they  arc  bo 
intimately  connected,  tended  much  to  prove  their 
authenticity. 

At  Naples,  several  years  previously,  in  1744,  the 
Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  had  been  directly  subjected  to  the 
critical  and  literary  examination  of  Alexia  bfazochi, 
a  most  skilful  hagiographer.  His  conclusions  were 
far   from  according    with    those  of  Tillemont   and 


576  LIFE  0F  SAiira  CECILIA. 

Baillet.  In  his  valuable  commentary  upon  the 
celebrated  Neapolitan  Calendar  of  the  eighth  century, 
Masoohi  makes  particular  mention  of  certain  latinisms 
in  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  prove  that  these  Acts 
date  back  to  the  fourth  century.  The  compiler  of  the 
fifth,  whose  style  is  very  careless,  must  then  have  made 
use  of  manuscripts  previously  written,  and  must 
have  transcribed  whole  passages  from  them.  Hence 
the  Acts  are  not  entirely  his  own  composition. 

Mazochi  then  points  out  several  incidents  and 
allusions  which  characterize  the  account,  and  shows 
how  perfectly  they  accord  with  the  manners  and 
language  of  antiquity.  He  accounts  in  several  w; 
for  the  name  of  Almachius,  and  is  far  from  consider- 
ing this  name  as  an  invalidation  of  the  Acts.  He 
next  energetically  attacks  the  system  by  which  Tille- 
mont  endeavors,  from  a  single  hemistich  in  the  works 
of  Fortunatus,  to  prove  Cecilia  a  Sicilian.  He  plainly 
shows  that  the  most  conclusive  evidence  designates 
Rome  as  the  theatre  of  the  illustrious  Virgin's  martyr- 
dom :  M  To  deny  a  fact  so  well  attested."  he  remarks, 
••  is  contrary  to  common  sense,  to  say  nothing  more. 
And  yet,  Baillet  and  other  Frenchmen  still  cling  to 
Tillemont's  opinion."* 

Such  is  Mazochi's  appreciation  of  the  Acts.  The 
learned  and  courageous  critic  makes,  it  is  true,  some 
concessions  to  his  adversaries  with  regard  to  the 
dialogues  and  discourses  which  he  thinks  may  have 

*  Rem  vero  ita  testatam  negare.  id.  ne  quid  gravius  dieam, 
communi  sf.nsu  plane  caret.  Et  tamen  Tillemontii  sententiam 
Bailletus,  aliiqne  passim  Gallorum,  adhuc  admirantur.  Ma- 
zockL  In  vetus  marmorcum  S.  Neapolitans  Ecclcsice  Kalendarium 
cummentarius.  Tome  i,  page  211. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  377 

been  interpolated ;  but  he  forgets  that  the  very  part 
of  the  Acts,  from  which  he  quotes  expressions  to  prove 
their  antiquity,  is  precisely  that  of  the  discourses  and 
dialogues.  Notwithstanding  these  restrictions,  the 
favorable  judgment  of  Mazochi  is  remarkable  at  a 
time  when  the  French  prejudice  against  hagiographi- 
cal  monuments  was  so  prevalent  in  Europe. 

The  Neapolitan  author  finds  it  difficult,  however, 
to  reconcile  a  persecution  against  the  Christians  with 
the  character  of  Alexander  Severus;  yet  he  is  un- 
willing to  invalidate  St.  Cecilia's  Acts,  and  therefore 
adopts  the  opinion  of  Usuard  and  St.  Ado  who  refer 
her  martyrdom  to  the  reign  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 
This  involves  him  in  some  difficulty  with  regard  to 
her  interviews  with  Pope  Urban ;  but  Mazochi  thinks 
he  can  solve  the  problem  by  supposing  that  St.  Urban 
was  but  a  simple  priest  at  the  time  of  Cecil ia's 
martyrdom;  and  that  having  been  appointed  Pope 
about  fifty  years  later,  the  actions  of  Urban  as  priest, 
were  attributed  to  Urban  as  Pope.* 

This  solution,  although  more  ingenious  than  satis- 
factory, is  at  least  a  proof  of  the  seriousness  with 
which  Mazochi  studied  Cecilia's  Acts.  Nor  is  it  more 
fanciful  than  that  which  was  proposed  later  by  the 
learned  Jesuit,  Lesley,  in  his  commentary  upon  the 
Mozarabic  Missal,  published  in  1755.  This  critic, 
also  desirous  to  place  St.  Cecilia's  martyrdom  under 
Marcus  Aurelius,  after  relating  Mazochi's  theory, 
proposes  his  own.  It  consists  in  admitting  that 
Bishops  were  established  in  the  Pagi  around  Rome, 
and  that  St.  Urban  was  probably  Bishop  of  a  Pagus 

*  Mazochi.     Pages  211,  212. 


378  LIFE   OF    SAINT   CECILIA. 

on  the  Appian  Way,  during  the  reign  of  Marcus 
Aurelius*     Unfortunately,  no  one  has  ever  heard 
of  Bishops  being  established  in  the  Pagi  of  the  envi- 
rons of  Eome,  and  an  explanation  based  upon  so 
gratuitous  a  conjecture,  cannot  have  much  weight.f 
Had  the  Acts  ot  St.  Cecilia  been  more  thoroughly 
studied,  learned  men  would  have  perceived  that  the 
persecution  mentioned  in  them,  was  precisely  such  as 
might  have  been  expected  in  the  reign  of  such  a 
prince  as  Alexander  Severus.     The  unity,  the  proba- 
bility, and  the  natural  succession  of  the  various  inci- 
dents, all  perfectly  in  accordance  with  what  we  should 
expect  in  the  reign  of  a  prince,  who,  though  tolerant 
to  the  Christians,  was  weak,  and  served  by  magis- 
trates who  despised  them ;  were  above  the  comprehen- 
sion of  an  author  so  simple  hearted  as  the  compiler 
of  the  Acts  in  the  fifth  century.     His  n  arration  proves, 
therefore,  the  existence  of  previous  memoirs  from 
which  he   gives  his  details.     If   our   Martyrs   had 
suffered  during  the  persecution  of  Marcus  Aurelius 
and  Commodus,  in  consequence  of  an  edict  issued  by* 
these  Emperors,  the  conduct  of  the  Eoman  Prefect, 
his  trial  of  the  culprits,  and  Cecilia's  death,  would 
have  presented  a  totally  different  character.     But  if 
it  be  granted,  on  the  contrary,  that  this  great  drama 
took  place  during  the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus, 
then,  all  that  would  appear  extraordinary  under  a 
persecuting  Emperor,  becomes  perfectly  natural ;  we 
feel  that  the  events  could  not  have  been  different. 
But   this   method    of   appreciating    an    historical 

*  Missale  mixtum,  dictum  Mozarabes,  prsefatione,  notis  et  ap- 
pendice  ornatum,  page  G08. 

|  Sue  Riccy.     Pago  Lemonio,  page  104. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  379 

document,  was  not  familiar  to  the  hagiographers  of 
the  period ;  and  we  are  therefore  deeply  indebted  to 
Mazochi  and  Lesley  for  having  seriously  defended 
the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia  at  a  time  when  it  required  no 
little  courage  to  contest  even  the  most  trifling  of 
Tillemont's  decisions  in  regard  to  monuments  which 
had  once  been  universally  respected.  The  gravity 
of  the  narrative,  the  universal  assent  of  all  nations,  the 
palpable  facts  stated  in  the  account  of  the  two  Inven- 
tions, every  thing,  even  to  the  philological  study  of 
the  Acts,  had  induced  these  learned  men  to  accept  a 
document  which  seemed  to  them  so  worthy  of  respect; 
their  only  study  was  to  fix  the  date  of  the  events 
mentioned  in  it ;  we  have  just  explained  why  they 
were  deceived  as  to  the  period  of  Cecilia's  martyrdom. 
The  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  beheld  the 
persecuted  successors  ofBollandus,  wandering  through 
the  world,  without  a  resting  place.  These  noble  exiles 
took  refuge  for  some  time  in  the  abbey  of  Tougerloo. 
Whilst  there,  they  published  in  1794,  the  sixth  vol- 
ume of  the  Acts  of  the  Saints,  for  October.  It  contai  oed 
the  Acts  of  St.  Callistus,  whose  festival  falls  on  the 
14th  of  October.  This  article  was  compiled  by  James 
de  Buc,  one  of  the  Bollandists.  He  openly  adopted 
Moretti's  conclusions,  and  the  famous  question  which 
had  puzzled  du  Sollier,  was  finally  decided  according 
to  Baronius  and  our  Acts.  In  1845,  the  Bollandists 
resumed  their  work  amidst  the  applause  of  Europe. 
After  fifty  years  of  suspension,  the  seventh  and  eighth 
volumes  appeared.  May  heaven  grant  that  the  present 
editors  may  bring  the  immortal  work  to  a  glorious 
conclusion,  and  avenge  the  Arts  of  St.  Cecilia  in  a 


380  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

manner  worthy  of  the  erudition  and  piety  of  the 
illustrious  Society  of  Jesus ! 

We  have  still  to  speak  of  a  celebrated  English 
hagiographer,  Alban  Butler,  whose  work  is  known  in 
France  under  the  name  of  Godescard,  Canon  of  Saint 
Honore,  who  translated  and  completed  it.  This  book 
neither  merits  the  great  reputation  which  it  has 
obtained,  nor  the  contempt  with  which  it  is  now 
frequently  treated.  We  shall  only  dwell  upon  the 
carelessness  with  which  the  question  concerning  St. 
Cecilia,  is  examined.  Butler  and  Godescard,  gener- 
ally so  eager  to  seek  and  cite  every  work,  treating 
of  the  Saints,  consulted  neither  Bosio  nor  Laderchi. 
In  1763,  they  seemed  to  consider  the  question  as 
finally  settled.  Had  not  the  French  Liturgists  de- 
cided it  ?  They  therefore  merely  state  that  the  Acts 
of  St.  Cecilia  are  of  little  authority,  an  observation 
which  they  attempt  to  justify  by  a  short  exposition 
of  Tillemont's  assertions ;  they  agree,  however,  that 
there  may  have  been  Martyrs  under  Alexander 
Severus. 

The  inconceivable  carelessness  with  which  this 
notice  was  compiled,  is  clearly  proved  by  the  follow- 
ing phrase :  "  We  learn  from  the  Acts  of  St.  Cecilia, 
that  in  chanting  the  praises  of  God,  she  frequently 
added  instrumental  to  vocal  music."*  Hence,  it  is 
clear  that  Butler  and  Godescard,  before  compiling  St. 
Cecilia's  life,  had  not  even  taken  the  trouble  to  read 
her  Acts,  since  these  do  not  contain  a  single  expres- 
sion which  could  lead  to  such  a  conclusion.  The 
only  authority  which  these  learned  men  could  allege, 

*  Vies  des  Peres  et  dea  Martyrs,  tome  xi.  an  22  Novembre. 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  $gl 

in  favor  of  the  fact  they  thus  advance,  is  the  legiti- 
mate license  with  which  artists  have  represented  St. 
Cecilia  playing  upon  musical  instruments,  to  indicate 
that  she  is  patroness  of  Music.  They  might  have 
shown  at  least  some  deference  for  Acts  which  were 
written  nearly  a  thousand  years  before  the  paintings 
in  question  were  executed.* 

In  concluding  this  chapter  upon  the  events  relating 
to  the  Holy  Martyr  throughout  the  eighteenth  century, 
we  again  gladly  take  refuge  in  our  dear  Basilica,  the 
history  of  which  is  so  intimately  united  with  that  of 
St.  Cecilia. 

Whilst  the  erudites  were  agitating  the  learned 
questions  we  have  mentioned,  multiplied  homages 
of  piety  were  offered  the  illustrious  Virgin.  The 
trans-Tiberian  Basilica  was  devoutly  visited  by 
pilgrims ;  and  the  devotion  of  the  Eomans  to  this 
august  sanctuary  and  the  valuable  treasures  it  con- 
tained, had  not  grown  cold.  Among  all  Cecilia's 
clients,  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
pious  Joseph  Mazzolari  held  the  first  place.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  before  its  suppres- 
sion. He  was  a  distinguished  scholar  and  full  of  zeal 
for  the  glory  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Saints. 
This  zeal  led  him  to  write  under  the  assumed 
name  of  Mariano  Partenio.  Among  the  Ciceronian 
harangues  found  in  his  literary  works,  there  is  one, 
styled  pro  domo  Lauretana^  which  he  caused  to  be 

*  Tabaraud,  the  author  of  the  article  upon  St.  Cecilia,  in  fa 
Biographic  universale,  has  merely  abridged  the  notice  of  Butler 
and  Godescard  ;  but  he  faithfully  quotes  the  Bentenoe  in  frhioh 
these  two  authors  assert  that  Cecilia's  prolieieney  in  musio,  is 
formally  expressed  in  her  Acts. 

\  Mazzolari  opera,  tome  i. 


382  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA, 

engraved  upon  a  plate  of  silver  as  an  offering  to  the 
sanctuary  of  our  Lady  of  Loretto.  He  particularly 
venerated  the  Martyrs  of  Rome,  and  it  was  principally 
on  account  of  this  devotion,  that  he  published  a  little 
work  entitled  Diario  sagro ;  *  but  Cecilia  was  Mazzo- 
lari's  special  favorite.  Through  his  exertions,  an 
Italian  translation  of  her  Acts  was  published  in 
Eome,f  in  1775,  preceded  by  a  preface  proving  their 
authenticity. 

In  the  year  1785,  Mazzolari,  at  his  own  expense, 
caused  the  fresco,  representing  upon  one  of  its  com- 
partments Cecilia's  interment,  and  upon  the  other 
her  apparition  to  Paschal,  to  be  detached  from  the 
exterior  portico  of  the  Basilica.  He  removed  this 
valuable  painting  to  the  interior  of  the  Church, 
placed  it  in  front  of  the  large  altar,  and  added  to  it 
the  following  inscription : 

MONVMENTVM   VETVSTISSIMVM    INVENTIONS   ET   DEPOSITIONS 

SACRAE   CHRISTI    SPONSAE    ET    INCLYTAE   MARTYRIS   CAECILIAE 

NE    AERIS    INIVRIA     PRORSVS     INTERIRET 

HVC     E    PORTICV     IOSEPHVS    MARIAN  VS     PARTHENIVS 

PRO    SVO    ERGA    S.    VIRGINEM     ET    MARTYREM    STVDIO 

TRANSFERENDVM    CVRAVIT 

A.  D.  M.  DCC.  LXXXV.J 

*  An  interesting  edition  of  this  work  appeared  at  Rome,  in 
1805,  with  excellent  notes  by  Adami. 

f  In  8°,  chez  Solomoni. 

X  That  this  very  ancient  monument  of  the  Invention  and  De- 
position of  the  holy  Spouse  of  Christ,  the  illustrious  Martyr,  St. 
Cecilia,  might  not  be  totally  destroyed  by  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  Joseph  Mariano  Partenio,  through  devotion  to  the 
holy  virgin  and  martyr,  removed  it  from  the  portico  to  this 
place,  a.  d.,  1785. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  383 

This  was  not  the  only  proof  of  Mazzolari's  devotion 
to  St.  Cecilia.  He  thought  that  Paschal's  document, 
in  which  the  holy  Pope  describes  the  apparition  of 
the  illustrious  virgin,  should  be  publicly  exposed  in 
the  Basilica.  He  had  it  engraved,  therefore,  upon  a 
large  white  marble  tablet,  and  placed  it  opposite  the 
antique  fresco  of  which  we  have  just  spoken.  It 
bears  the  following  inscription  : 

HAS     LITTERAS     E    COD.     VATIC.     DESCRIPTAS 

JOSEPHVS     MARIANVS     PARTHENIUS    INCIDENDAS    CVRAVIT 

A.    D.    M.    DCC.    LXXXVI.* 

A  third  memorial  of  Mazzolari's  devotion  to  St. 
Cecilia,  was  a  large  silver  gilt  heart,  which  was 
placed  near  the  Confession.  The  following  words 
are  engraved  upon  it : 

JOSEPHVS   MARIANVS  PARTHENIVS 

CAECILIAE   VIRGINI   SANCTAE 

MARTYRI   INVICTAE 

D.  D. 

PATRONAE    COELESTI 

ANNO   MDCCLXXV. 

ORAT   OBSECRAT    SUPPLICAT 

VT   HABERE    MEREATUR  PARTEM   CVM   EA.f 

While  these  pious  offerings  were  being  placed 
upon  Cecilia's  tomb,  disastrous  days  wore  looming 

*  This  letter  was  copied  from  a  manuscript  of  the  Vatican, 
Joseph  Mariano  Partenio  caused  it  to  be  engraved  A.  D.  L786. 

f  Joseph  Mariano  Partenio  dedicated  this  heart  to  the  holy 
Virgin  and  invincible  martyr  St,.  Ueoiilii    Ilia  heavenly  patrOH688, 

A.  D.  1775.    He  prays,  he  heseeohes,  he  Implores,  that  he  may 

merit  a  share  in  her  happiness. 


334  LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA. 

over  the  holy  city,  and  the  treasures  of  her  Basilicas 
were  soon  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men.  The 
pontificate  of  Pius  VI.  was  almost  at  an  end,  when 
the  Directory  of  the  French  Kepublic,  having  con- 
ceived the  odious  project  of  deposing  the  Lord's 
anointed,  announced  to  the  Pontiff  that  Christian  Home 
was  condemned  to  destruction,  and  that  nothing  could 
avert  its  ruin  but  the  greatest  sacrifices.  Pius  VI., 
by  the  armistice  of  Milan,  and  soon  after,  by  the 
treaty  of  Tolentino,  was  forced  to  cede  a  portion  of 
his  territory,  to  deliver  up  his  most  beautiful  pictures 
and  finest  statuary,  and  to  pay  thirty-one  million 
francs. 

To  satisfy  this  enormous  demand,  the  Pontiff  sent 
the  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  that  still  remained 
in  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  and,  moreover,  added  to 
them  all  the  gold  and  silver  ornaments  belonging  to 
the  churches  of  Home. 

-  We  have  read  with  much  emotion  in  the  archives 
of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia,  an  order  issued  by  the 
Cardinal  Vicar,  in  the  name  of  hi.:.  Holiness,  dated 
July  6th,  1796,  to  all  the  superiors  of  the  churches 
in  Rome,  commanding,  under  the  severest  penalties, 
an  inventory  to  be  made  of  all  the  gold  and  silver 
plate  entrusted  to  their  keeping.*  A  document  of 
later  date,  mentioned  that  on  the  seventeenth  of  that 
same  month,  the  Abbess  delivered  up  three  hundred 
and  ninety-five  pounds  of  silver  to  the  pontifi- 
cal commissary  Livaldini ;  on  the  29th  of  August, 
sixty-nine  pounds;  and  on  the  9th  of  the  following 
March,  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine.f 

*  Archives  of  St.  Cecilia.  Lossier  94,  No.  30. 
f  Ibid.,  No.  31. 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  335 

This  cruel  spoliation,  to  which  the  Pontiff  wag 
forced  by  extreme  necessity,  deprived  the  Basilica 
of  its  three  precious  caskets,  in  which  Sfondrato  had 
enclosed  the  heads  of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maxi- 
mus.  These  holy  relics  were  then  placed  in  the 
copper  cylinders  in  which  they  have  since  remained. 
Besides  the  three  caskets  sent  by  the  Abbess,  there 
were  silver  chalices,  candelabra,  and  other  altar  fur- 
niture ;  the  greater  number  of  the  reliquaries,  pre- 
sented by  Sfondrato,  were  merely  bronze-gilt. 

Notwithstanding  this  enormous  sacrifice,  the 
liberty  of  the  Pope  was  not  long  respected.  In  less 
than  two  years,  the  holy  old  man  was  dragged  into 
exile.  Then  followed  new  spoliations  of  the  churches 
of  Eome,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the 
French  authorities.  We  find  in  the  Archives  of  St. 
Cecilia's  Basilica,  a  French  document,  headed  with 
the  words  Liberty,  Equality,  and  dated  16  Ventose  of 
the  sixth  year  of  the  Republic.  This  document  attested 
that  the  citizen  Valette,  charged  by  the  financial 
administration  of  Italy,  to  receive  the  gold  and-  silver 
taken  from  churches,  required  the  citizen  Sebastian 
Bartoletti,  a  Eoman  priest,  to  enumerate,  upon 
oath,  all  the  silver  articles  which  remained  in  the 
Church  and  monastery  of  St.  Cecilia,  of  which  he  was 
chaplain. 

"We  may  form  an  idea  of  the  state  of  destitution  to 
which  the  sanctuary  of  St.  Cecilia  was  thus  reduced, 
and  at  the  same  time  picture  to  ourselves  the  rapacity 
of  the  spoliators  of  Eome,  by  reading  in  this  docu- 
ment the  list  of  precious  articles  which  were  reluc- 
tantly left  in  the  Basilica.     They  consisted   of  an 

SI* 


336  LIFE   0P   SAINT   CECILIA. 

altar  cloth  embroidered  with  gold,  an  ostensorium, 
four  reliquaries,  two  chalices,  and  a  censor. 

Whilst  the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica  was  being  thus 
despoiled  of  even  its  most  trifling  ornaments,  the 
illustrious  Cardinal,  Hyacinth  Sigismond  Gerdil,  to 
whose  care  the  Pope  had  entrusted  it,  was,  like 
the  other  members  of  the  Sacred  College,  forced  to 
leave  Kome.  This  austere  religious  and  eminent 
theologian,  a  worthy  successor  of  so  many  great  car- 
dinals, was  renowned  for  his  learning  and  virtue. 
He  had  successfully  combated  all  the  errors  of  his 
time,  and  had  compiled  the  immortal  Constitution 
Auctorem  fidei  which  annihilated  Jansenism. 

Gerdil  was  eighty  years  of  age  when  thus  forced 
to  leave  Kome  and  the  pious  sanctuary  which  had 
been  committed  to  his  care.  We  have  read  with 
deep  emotion  the  autograph  letter  which  he  addressed, 
previous  to  his  departure,  to  his  dear  daughters,  the 
Abbess  and  Religious  of  St.  Cecilia,  whom  he  left 
exposed  to  every  danger.  This  letter  breathes 
throughout  the  most  heroic  resignation  and  paternal 
charity.  After  the  miraculous  election  of  Pius  VII., 
at  Venice,  Gerdil  returned  to  Kome  and  once  more 
had  the  consolation  of  praying  at  Cecilia's  tomb. 
But  he  was  soon  called  to  receive  the  recompense 
he  had  merited  by  his  noble  and  holy  life.  He  died 
on  the  12th  of  August,  1802. 

Our  Basilica,  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  shared  in  the  general  tribulations  of  the 
Church.  We  will  close  this  chapter  with  a  single 
incident  characteristic  of  this  epoch,  no  less  fruitful 
in  virtues  than  in  crimes.     We  are  confident  that 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  387 

our  readers  honor  the  angelic  memory  of  the  amiable 
and  pious  Madame  Elizabeth,  sister  of  Louis  XVI. 
This  princess,  whose  murder  was  one  of  the  greatest 
crimes  of  the  French  Eevolution,  venerated  St.  Ce- 
cilia with  special  devotion.  Perhaps  she  felt  a  secret 
presentiment  that  she  too  would  one  day  add  the  rose 
of  martyrdom  to  the  lily  of  virginity.  When  her 
brother,  the  Count  of  Provence,  before  leaving 
France,  bade  adieu  to  his  dearly  loved  sister,  Eliza- 
beth presented  him  with  a  picture  of  St.  Cecilia,  en- 
treating him  never  to  part  with  it.  "I  am  aware," 
said  she,  "  that  your  mind  and  heart  have  been  mis- 
led by  a  false  and  dangerous  philosophy.  I  trust 
that  this  holy  martyr  will  obtain  your  conversion.* 
Elizabeth  did  not  seek  to  escape  from  a  country 
where  a  cruel  fate  awaited  her.  Her  devoted  attach- 
ment to  the  royal  family  did  not  suffer  her  to  abandon 
them.  She  consoled  the  last  moments  of  the  Queen; 
and  when  her  own  turn  arrived,  she  calmly  ascended 
the  scaffold,  after  encouraging  with  angelic  words 
the  numerous  victims,  who,  one  by  one,  preceded 
her  to  death  on  that  mournful  day. 


CHAPTER.  XXXVIII. 

EVENTS    RELATING   TO    ST.    CECILIA    AND    HER    BASILICA    THROUGHOUT 
THE    NINETEENTH    CB5TUBY. 

The  nineteenth  century  opened  with  the  elevation 
of  Pius  VII.    During  his  pontificate,  the  churohea 

*  Relation  of  a  voyage  to  Brussels  and  Coblenti  In  1791. 
Paris  1823.  This  pamphlet  was  written  bj  the  Count  of  Pro- 
vence, afterwards  Louis  XV 111. 


388  ^FE   0F   SAINT   CECILIA. 

resumed  something  of  their  ancient  splendor,  through 
the  generosity  and  pious  zeal  of  the  faithful ;  but 
long  years  must  pass  away,  ere  the  Basilica  of  Saint 
Cecilia,  despoiled  of  nearly  all  its  riches,  and  im- 
poverished in  its  revenues,  will  again  surround  the  - 
tomb  of  the  saint  with  the  magnificence  it  displayed  in 
Sfondrato's  time.  Instead  of  a  hundred  lamps  burn- 
ing day  and  night,  there  are  now  only  fifty,  and 
these  are  extinguished  at  sunset.  The  edifice  itself 
was  beginning  to  decay,  and  there  was  every  reason 
to  fear  that  the  holy  dwelling  of  Cecilia,  which  had 
been  so  frequently  restored  and  embellished,  would 
fall  to  ruins  before  the  close  of  the  century.  Joseph 
Doria,  who  had  been  Secretary  of  State  during  the 
troubled  pontificate  of  Pius  VI.,  was  now  titulary  of 
St.  Cecilia.  But  the  short  time  which  elapsed  between 
his  nomination  and  the  fresh  troubles  which  fell  upon 
the  Church,  was  not  sufficiently  long  to  permit  him 
to  undertake,  much  less  to  execute,  any  repairs  in 
the  Basilica.  He  had  been  named  Secretary  of  State 
to  Pius  VII.;  but  he  did  not  remain  long  in  this 
dangerous  office.  He  was  soon  exiled  to  Genoa,  in 
consequence  of  his  fidelity  to  the  sovereign  Pontiff*. 
He  died  on  the  10th  of  February,  shortly  after  the 
return  of  Pius  VII.  to  Eome.  His  nephew,  Cardinal 
George  Doria,  succeeded  him  as  Titulary  of  St.  Ceci- 
lia, and  profiting  by  the  happy  revolution  which  had 
restored  to  Eome  her  Pontiff*  and  Master,  he  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  first  care  to  the  Basilica,  which 
sadly  needed  restoring.  He  strengthened  the  arcades 
of  the  ground  nave,  consolidated  the  falling  arch, 
and  renewed  the  painting  and  gilding.     The  Abbess 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  389 

and  religious  of  St.  Cecilia,  wishing  to  hand  down  to 
posterity,  a  remembrance  of  the  pious  munificence 
of  George  Doria,  caused  the  following  inscription  to 
be  engraved  upon  a  marble  tablet : 

GEOKGIVS  AB  AVRIA  PAMPHILIVS 

PRESBYTER  CARDINALIS  HVIVS  TITVLI 

PERINSIGJSTE  BIVM  C^ECILLE  E  DOMO  TEMPLVM 

IN  QVO  ETIAM  PIISSIMORVM  CARDINALIVM 

GEORGII  PATRVI  MAGNI  ET  IOSEPHI  PATRVI  SVI 

CINERES  QVIESCVNT 

QVVM  TEMPORIS  INIVRIA  FATISCERET 

PERISTYLIO  LATERICIIS  MOLIBUS  SVBFVLTO 

SVPERIORI  CONCAMERATIONE  SOLIDATA 

OMNIBUS  DENIQVE  AD  ELEGANTEM  FORMAM  PERFECTIS 

VRGINVM  SACRARVM  RELIGIOSO  CVLTVI 

RESTITVENDVM  SVA  IMPENSA  CVRAVIT 

ABBATISSA  ET  MONIALES 

EMINENTISSIMI  VIRI  MUNIFICENTIAM 

GRATO  ANIMO  PROSEQVVT^E 

REI  MEMORIAM  LAPIDE  SIGNATAM  VOLVERVXT 

AXNO  M.  DCCC  XXIII.* 

The  Basilica  thus  restored,  resumed  its  superiority 

*  George  Doria  Pampliili,  Cardinal  Priest  and  Titulary  of  this 
church,  caused  to  be  restored  at  his  own  expense,  for  the  divine 
office  chanted  here  by  sacred  virgins,  this  august  temple,  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Cecilia,  and  formerly  the  house  in  which  she  lived. 
The  remains  of  George,  the  great  uncle,  and  of  Joseph,  the  undo 
of  the  present  Titulary,  repose  hero.  Seeing  that  this  sanctuary 
was  falling  to  ruins,  Cardinal  Doria  supported  the  arcades  with 
brickwork,  consolidated  the  arch,  and  restored  to  the  church 
its  primitive  beauty.  As  a  token  of  gratitude  for  the  niuniti- 
cence  of  this  eminent  Cardinal,  the  Abbess  and  religious  have 
caused  this  inscription  to  be  engraved. 


390  LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA. 

over  all  the  other  churches  of  the  city;  and  although 
still  preserving  traces  of  the  cruel  spoliation  it  had 
suffered,  cheered  by  its  splendor  and  elegance,  the 
hearts  of  the  pilgrims  who  visited  the  virgin's  tomb. 
There  were  no  events  of  any  importance  in  the  annals 
of  St.  Cecilia,  until  the  disastrous  days  when  Kome 
was  profaned  by  sacrilege  and  revolt.  No  change 
was  made  in  the  trans-Tiberian  Basilica  during  the 
pontificates  of  Leo  XII.,  Pius  VIII.,  and  Gregory 
XVI.;  under  this  last  Pope,  the  church  was  en- 
trusted to  the  pious  Cardinal  James  Louis  Brignole, 
a  Genoese,  who,  upon  his  elevation  to  the  Suburbi- 
cary  Church  of  Sabine,  obtained  permission  to  retain 
this  Basilica  in  commendam,  as  Sfondrato  and  Aqua- 
viva  had  done.  It  was  therefore  under  his  adminis- 
tration, that  the  events  w^e  are  about  to  relate,  took 
place.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  admire  the  won- 
derful manner  in  which  the  holy  martyr  protected 
the  house  consecrated  by  her  blood,  and  by  the 
actual  presence  of  her  body.  When,  in  November, 
1848,  the  angelic  Pius  IX.  had  been  forced  to  seek 
safety  in  flight,  the  fury  of  his  enemies  vented  itself 
upon  churches  and  monasteries.  The  venerable 
sanctuary  of  St.  Cecilia  was  not  spared  ;  but  nowhere 
throughout  the  holy  city,  was  the  protection  of  hea- 
ven more  clearly  or  more  constantly  manifested. 
Before  the  arrival  of  the  French  army,  the  faction 
who  governed  the  city,  conceived  the  idea  of  taking 
away  from  the  churches,  some  paintings  which 
needed  restoration,  under  the  pretext  of  giving  occu- 
pation to  the  artists.  A  party  came  to  the  Church 
of  St.  Cecilia,  and  took  possession  of  the  altar  piece 


LIFE   OF   SAINT  CECILIA.  39 1 

in  the  Chapel  of  the  Bath.  They  were  carrying  it 
away  in  triumph,  when  an  energetic  band  of  Traste- 
verini,  thinking  they  were  despoiling  the  Basilica, 
suddenly  rushed  upon  them,  and  by  menaces  which 
they  would  have  carried  into  effect,  forced  them 
to  return  the  picture  they  had  so  imprudently 
detached  from  the  wall.  In  revenge,  the  minister  of 
fine  arts  established  his  artists  in  this  very  chapel, 
with  orders  to  restore  the  frescos  of  Paul  Brill,  which 
were  in  reality  much  defaced ;  but  which  are  now  com- 
pletely destroyed,  thanks  to  the  pencils  of  these 
wretched  artists.  The  tyrants  of  Rome  had  ordered 
that  a  number  of  the  church  bells  should  be  taken 
down  and  cast  into  cannon  for  their  service.  The 
Basilica  of  St.  Cecilia  was  one  of  the  churches  men- 
tioned, but  it  was  protected  in  a  most  unlooked-for 
manner.  The  President  of  the  trans-Tiberian  region, 
Vincent  Cortesi,  obtained  from  the  triumvirate  that 
the  bells  should  not  be  disturbed.  His  influence 
likewise  obtained  for  the  Monastery  and  the  Basilica 
an  exemption  from  the  decree,  ordaining  an  inventory 
of  all  church  furniture  and  monastic  property. 

The  news  that  the  French  army  was  approaching, 
redoubled  the  rage  of  the  factious  party,  while  it  in- 
creased the  terror  of  peaceable  citizens,  who  dreaded 
the  horrors  of  a  siege.  On  the  28th  of  April,  184 (,), 
the  Benedictines  of  Campus  Martius,  begged  admit- 
tance to  the  monastery  of  St.  Cecilia,  their  convent 
having  been  seized  by  the  republican  administration 
and  converted  into  barracks. 

The  daughters  of  St.  Cecilia  received  their  sisters 
with  the  most  heartfelt  kindness,  their  mutual  alloc- 


£>09  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA 

tion  being  increased  by  the  common  peril  to  which 
they  were  exposed ;  and  the  two  communities,  hence- 
forth united  in  one,  endeavored  to  assist  each  other 
in  preparing  for  the  trials  in  store  for  them. 

Three  days  had  scarcely  elapsed,  when  a  troop  of 
armed  men  broke  into  the  convent,  at  midnight, 
under  pretext  of  seeking  for  a  concealed  priest. 
These  ruffians  searched  every  part  of  the  house,  but 
not  finding  the  priest,  they  departed,  threatening  the 
religious  with  every  kind  of  cruelty,  assuring  them 
that  these  threats  would  soon  be  put  into  execution. 
A  few  days  later,  the  republican  commissary  of  the 
Trastever^  Eegion,  accompanied  by  two  of  his 
satellites  and  a  mason,  forced  his  way  into  the 
convent  and  demanded  the  treasures  which  he 
declared  the  Titulary  Cardinal  had  entrusted  to  the 
religious.  He,  and  his  companions,  pierced  the  walls, 
broke  open  the  doors,  and  examined  all  the  furniture ; 
but  found  no  treasure.  Such  unheard  of  outrages 
committed  in  a  house  of  unprotected  women,  were 
but  preludes  to  greater  insults.  On  the  14th  of  May, 
two  commissaries  of  the  government,  presented  them- 
selves to  the  Abbess,  Giuseppa  Ben eggi,  after  having 
broken  open  the  doors  of  the  monastery.  They  com- 
pelled her  to  assemble  all  her  religions  in  the  parlor, 
and  then,  in  the  presence  of  these  holy  virgins,  they 
read  a  decree  of  the  triumvirate,  annulling  the  vows 
of  all  religious,  and  declaring  them  free  to  return 
to  the  world.  The  daughters  of  St.  Cecilia  listened 
to  this  insolent  and  sacrilegious  decree,  with  silent 
indignation,  and  the  commissaries  retired. 

The  next  evening,  at  ten  o'clock,  the  commissary 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


393 


of  the  Trastevere  Eegion,  escorted  by  ten  men, 
again  entered  the  convent,  and  imperiously  demanded 
the  treasures  of  the  Titulary  Cardinal.  After  a  fruit, 
less  search,  this  man,  furious  at  his  non-success, 
summoned  the  Abbess  before  him,  and  told  her  that 
he  considered  her  responsible  for  the  missing  treasures. 
He  finally  threatened  to  carry  off  the  Abbess  as  a 
hostage,  a  menace  which  he  would  have  executed,  had 
not  Providence  interposed. 

The  month  of  June  having  arrived,  the  French 
resolved  to  press  the  siege.  The  fury  of  the  assault, 
as  well  as  of  the  defence,  was  confined  principally  to 
the  Trastevere  Eegion. 

There  was  a  constant  cross  fire  from  the  Aventine 
Hill  and  the  summit  of  Mount  Janiculum,  above  the 
Basilica  and  Monastery  of  St.  Cecilia.  The  balls 
struck  against  the  august  temple  of  the  Eoman 
Virgin  in  every  direction,  and  the  religious,  who 
had  been  successively  driven  from  one  room  of  the 
monastery  to  another,  finally  took  refuge  in  that  part 
of  the  building  erected  on  the  Piazza  de  Santa  Cecila. 
Wehave  seen,  in  the  monastery,  a  heap  of  balls  which 
were  picked  up  in  the  garden,  by  the  religious,  after 
the  siege. 

The  intervention  of  heaven  was  marvellously  shown 
by  the  miraculous  preservation,  not  only  of  the  reli- 
gious, but  also  of  the  Basilica.  Not  one  of  the  sisters 
was  injured,  although  the  balls  frequently  pierced  the 
walls  of  the  rooms  where  they  were  assembled; 
whilst  the  Basilica,  though  exposed  on  all  sides  to 
bomb  shells  and  balls  was  not  damaged  in  the 
slightest  degree 

32 


oq^  LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Christ  visibly  protected  this  sacred  house,  and  the 
virgins  who  dwelt  under  its  roof,  because  the  tomb 
of  Cecilia  His  spouse,  is  ever  dear  to  His  heart.  This 
was  proved  by  the  following  incident. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  after  one  of  the  most  fearful 
days  of  the  siege,  four  religious  had  remained  after 
matins  in  the  tribune  of  the  choir,  directly  in  front 
of  the  main  altar  and  of  the  Confession  of  St.  Cecilia. 
They  were  the  RR.  MM.  Donna  Flavia  Celeste 
Cecconi,  Donna  Electa  Benedetti,  Donna  Gertrude 
Benedetti,  and  Donna  Scholastica  Rosa;  the  first  three 
were  exiles  from  St.  Mary  of  the  Campus  Martins; 
the  last  belonged  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Cecilia. 
After  the  severe  trials  of  the  day,  they  remained  to 
pray  and  to  implore  Almighty  God  to  put  an  end  to 
the  disastrous  events  which  were  devastating  the  holy 
city.  The  Basilica  was  plunged  in  almost  total  dark- 
ness, the  only  light  being  that  of  four  small  tapers 
placed  upon  the  upper  balustrade,  near  the  altar,  on 
the  Epistle  side. 

The  four  sisters  were  praying  devoutly,  when  their 
attention  was  attracted  to  the  sanctuary,  suddenly 
illuminated  by  a  brilliant  light,  issuing  from  the 
crypt  under  the  altar  where  Cecilia's  body  reposed. 
This  light  ascended  slowly  to  the  foot  of  the  statue, 
crossed  the  altar  on  the  Gospel  side,  and  after  reaching 
the  tabernacle,  again  descended,  and  vanished.  The 
marvellous  apparition  was  repeated  twice.  The  four 
sisters  were  so  impressed  at  such  an  unexpected  sight, 
that  at  first  they  did  not  venture  to  communicate  their 
feelings  to  one  another.  The  Sisters  of  St.  Mary  were 
the  first  to  speak;  turning  towards  Donna  Scholastica 
Rosa,  they  said :  "  Do  you  see  that  light  ?  — "  I  do  see 


LIFE   OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  395 

it,"  replied  the  religions  of  St.  Cecilia.  "  But  what 
can  it  mean?"  asked  the  other  sisters."  "I  know 
not,"  answered  Donna  Scholastica,  "let  ns  see  if  it  wrill 
reappear."  A  few  moments  after,  the  same  brilliant 
light  returned,  and  again  ascending  to  the  tabernacle, 
slowly  descended,  und  disappeared  as  before.  The 
Sisters  remained  a  long  time,  respectfully  waiting 
for  another  apparition;  but  the  mysterious  light 
appeared  no  more.  This  extraordinary  fact,  which 
we  have  heard  from  the  lips  of  the  above  named 
religious,  was  certainly  most  significant. 

Who  does  not  see  in  it  a  touching  indication  of 
Cecilia's  prayers,  ascending  to  her  divine  Spouse,  inter- 
ceding for  the  cessation  of  the  scourge  and  for  the  salva- 
tion of  Eome  and  her  Pontiff?  The  light  emanated 
from  the  virgin's  tomb  like  a  fervent  aspiration ;  it 
ascended  towards  Him  who  alone  can  give  peace,  and 
returned  to  the  tomb,  after  having  obtained  the  favor 
it  implored.  What  greater  proof  could  there  be  of 
the  intercession  of  the  Saints  in  our  favor;  and  does 
it  not  likewise  show  that  this  intercession  is  more 
readily  granted  when  prayed  for  in  the  places  where 
their  bodies  repose  ? 

Cecilia  was  truly  watching  over  the  salvation  and 
deliverance  of  her  children  in  the  trans-Tiberian 
regions;  for  the  wonderful  preservation  of  the  Ba- 
silica and  monastery  could  only  be  attributed  to  her 
powerful  intercession.  Their  trials,  however,  were 
not  yet  at  an  end;  Cecilia's  vigilance  was  still 
required  over  her  august  temple  and  her  devoted 
children. 

On  the  15th  of  June,  the  Abbess  received  an  im- 


396  LIFE   OF  SAINT   CECILIA. 

perious  order  to  leave  the  house  within  three  hours, 
and  to  send  some  of  her  daughters  to  the  monastery 
of  St.  Bernardin,  the  rest  to  that  of  St.  Susanna.  The 
military  engineers  had  selected  the  Church  and  mon- 
astery of  St.  Cecilia  as  a  point  of  defence  from  which 
they  could  return  the  enemy's  fire.  We  may  easily 
conceive  the  desolation  into  which  the  religious  were 
plunged  by  this  unexpected  expulsion  from  the  sanc- 
tuary, rendered  doubly  dear  by  the  terrors,  the  heart- 
breakings,  and  the  dangers  of  the  preceding  months. 
Their  souls  were  oppressed  with  the  sad  prospect  of 
the  sacred  temple  exposed  to  frightful  profanations, 
the  body  of  Cecilia,  their  faithful  patroness,  aban- 
doned to  these  sacrilegious  men,,  the  asylum  of  con- 
secrated virgins  converted  into  a  barrack ;  the 
convent,  within  which  they  had  practised  the  humble 
virtues  of  the  cloister,  and  which  they  considered 
their  home,  desolated,  perhaps  destroyed,  by  the 
cannon  of  the  besiegers,  whilst  they  were  wandering 
through  the  streets  of  the  city. 

Tears  and  supplications  would  have  been  lost  upon 
the  agents  of  the  triumvirate ;  but  Cecilia's  protection 
was  again  sensibly  felt.  A  private  gentleman,  Joseph 
Costa,  who  lived  near  the  convent,  and  whose  three 
daughters  had  been  educated  by  the  religious,  inter- 
ceded in  their  favor.  He  obtained  permission  for  the 
Sisters  to  remain  in  their  house,  only  giving  up  the 
part  of  the  building  which  faced  the  Janiculum. 

The  religious  immediately  walled  up  the  commu- 
nicating doors  between  the  part  of  the  building  which 
they  were  forced  to  relinquish,  and  that  which  they 
were  permitted  to  retain,  and  continued  to  trust  in 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA.  397 

the  power  of  their  heavenly  protectress.  The  pro- 
ject of  converting  the  Basilica  and  monastery  into 
a  place  of  defence,  was  never  carried  into  execution ; 
a  sufficient  proof  that  cupidity  was  the  principal 
cause  of  this  new  vexation.  In  fact,  two  days  later, 
some  commissaries  having  thoroughly  explored  that 
part  of  the  monastery  given  up  to  them,  entered  the 
Basilica  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with 
the  intention  of  searching  every  where  for  the  hidden 
treasures,  of  the  Titulary  Cardinal.  As  there  was  no 
one  to  oppose  them,  everything  was  to  be  feared  from 
their  audacity  and  avidity.  The  commissaries  were 
accompanied  by  workmen,  and  they  immediately 
commenced  their  search.  Thinking  that  the  trea- 
sures might  be  buried  in  the  vault  where  the  religious 
were  interred,  they  hesitated  not  to  violate  this  sacred 
place,  and  to  disturb  the  ashes  of  the  consecrated 
dead.  Finding  nothing  in  the  first  vault,  they  directed 
their  steps  to  another,  situated  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Crucifix,  and  long  used  as  a  burial  place  for  seculars. 
This  search  proved  as  unsuccessful  as  the  former, 
and  finally,  after  twelve  hours  of  fruitless  labor,  the 
commissaries  retired,  uttering  a  thousand  impre- 
cations against  the  religious,  and  threatening  in  their 
fury,  to  force  the  cloister  of  the  monastery.  Joseph 
Costa  again  interceded  in  behalf  of  the  Sisters,  and 
obtained  a  detachment  of  the  civic  guard  for  their 
protection.  This  guard  continued  in  service  until 
the  taking  of  Eome,  and  were  disbanded  by  General 
Oudinot  on  the  very  day  of  his  triumphal  entrance 
into  the  city.  We  will  now  close  these  annals  of  the 
Eoman  virgin,  hoping  that  by  the  mercy  of  Christ, 

32* 


398  ^IFE   0F   SAINT  CECILIA. 

they  will  be  enriched  throughout  the  course  of  time, 
for  the  consolation  of  Christianity  and  the  honor  of 
our  invincible  heroine.  The  Komans,  especially 
those  dwelling  in  the  trans-Tiberian  regions,  pay  her 
the  most  devoted  homage,  and  she  reigns  over  all 
Christendom  as  Queen  of  Harmony. 

It  is  true,  that  for  more  than  a  century,  neither 
poet  nor  artist  has  laid  at  her  feet  a  tribute  worthy 
of  her  acceptance ;  but  this  must  be  attributed  to  that 
general  decline  of  true  Catholic  inspiration  in  the 
fine  arts  which  commenced  at  a  much  earlier  period. 
In  France,  another  cause  may  be  assigned,  viz.,  the 
conspiracy  of  our  hagiographers  against  the  honor 
of  the  Saint. 

Better  days  are  in  store,  when  devotion  to  the 
Saints  will  become  more  lively  and  practical.  All 
must  acknowledge  that  little  was  thought  of  St.  Eliza- 
beth of  Hungary,  until  the  pen  of  Montalembert  had 
so  vividly  painted  her  beautiful  virtues.  Cecilia 
lived  at  a  much  earlier  period,  but  her  name  has 
always  been  popular  and  her  feast  annually  cele- 
brated. Christ  will  deign  to  glorify  His  Spouse  still 
more.  He  will  infuse  new  life  into  the  homages  paid 
her,  and  will  incite  the  faithful  to  imitate  her  glorious 
example. 

What  thanks  do  we  not  owe  thee,  Cecilia!  for 
having  permitted  us  to  trace  thy  hallowed  memory 
throughout  sixteen  ages;  for  having  assisted  us  in 
our  narration,  and  above  all,  for  the  favor  thrice 
repeated  of  prostrating  ourselves  before  thy  august 
tomb,  and  celebrating  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Lamb,  thy 
Spoase,  upon  the  altar  which  covers  and  protects  thy 
remains! 


LIFE   OF   SAINT    CECILIA.  399 

In  the  first  of  these  pilgrimages,  we  conceived  the 
idea  of  rendering  thee  this  public  homage  of  our  ten- 
der veneration;  of  consecrating  to  thy  glory  this 
humble  work  as  a  memorial  of  the  holy  joy  we  have 
experienced  when  kneeling  at  thy  feet.  Deign,  O 
Virgin,  Apostle,  Martyr,  amidst  the  many  gifts  offered 
at  thy  Confession  by  purer  hands  than  ours,  to  accept 
this  feeble  tribute  of  our  love ! 

Angels  alone  can  worthily  celebrate  thy  praise,  O 
Spouse  of  Christ !  We  can  but  address  thee  in  the 
trembling  accents  of  fallen  and  sinful  humanity. 

Deign  to  look  favorably  upon  us,  O  glorious  queen! 
from  the  throne  of  glory  whereon  thou  sittest,  clothed 
with  the  dazzling  robe  of  which  the  Psalmist  speaks. 
Vouchsafe  to  accept  our  humble  offering.* 

Deign  also  to  hear  our  prayer  for  that  holy  Church, 
whose  glory  and  support  thou  art. 

In  the  profound  night  of  the  present  century,  the 
Spouse  delays  His  coming.  Amidst  the  solemn 
silence,  He  permits  the  virgin  to  slumber  until  the 
day  of  His  advent.f  We  honor  thy  repose  upon  thy 
mysterious  couch,  rendered  glorious  by  thy  victories, 
O  Cecilia !  but  we  know  that  thou  dost  not  forget 
us ;  for  thus  speaks  the  Spouse  in  the  sacred  Canticle : 
"  I  sleep,  but  my  heart  watches  1"$ 

The  hour  approaches  when  the  Spouse  will  appear, 
and  rally  his  followers  around  the  standard  of  the 
Cross.  Soon  the  cry  will  be  heard :  "  Behold  the 
bridegroom   cometh;    go  ye  forth  to  meet   him."§ 

*  Psalms  xliv.  2. 

f  Moram  autem  faciente  sponso,  dorinitavorunt  ouines  (vir- 
gines)  et  dormierunt.   Matth.  xxv.  5. 

t  Cant.,  v.  2.  §  Matt.  xxv.  6. 


400  LIFE   0F   SAINT   CECILIA, 

O  Cecilia !  then  wilt  thou  exclaim  to  the  Christians  of 
our  generation,  as  thou  formerly  didst  to  the  faithful 
band,  who  surrounded  thee  in  the  hour  of  combat: 
"  Soldiers  of  Christ,  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness 
and  clothe  yourselves  with  the  armor  of  light  !"* 

The  Church  daily  pronounces  thy  name  with  love 
and  confidence  in  the  most  sacred  part  of  her  Myste- 
ries, firmly  confiding  in  thy  assistance,  0,  Cecilia! 
which   she   knows   will  never  fail  her.     Eaise  up 
Christian  hearts  to  the  contemplation  of  those  eternal 
truths   which   they  too  often   forget  in  their  vain 
pursuit  of  those  earthly  vanities,  which  held  captive 
the  heart  of  Tiburtius,  until  thy  sublime  eloquence 
had  undeceived  his  noble   soul.     Thus   wilt   thou 
prepare  the  triumph  of  the  Church ;  for  when  thoughts 
of  eternity  shall  predominate  in  the  heart  of  man, 
then  will  the  salvation  and  the  peace  of  nations  be 
secured. 

Our  task  is  accomplished :  we  must  now  resume 
less  pleasing  labors.  Mayest  thou.  0  Cecilia !  ever 
be  the  delight  of  the  Heavenly  Spouse.  Mayest  thou 
ever  breathe  the  divine  perfume  of  his  roses  and  lilies, 
and  be  charmed  with  the  ineffable  harmony  of  His 
Sacred  Heart.  From  thy  throne  of  glory,  watch 
over  us  during  life ;  aid  us  at  the  hour  of  death,  and 
bear  our  souls  to  their  immortal  home.  There  shall 
we  behold  thee,  crowned  with  glory,  and  radiant 
with  ineffable  happiness ;  and  in  the  light  of  that  re- 
fulgent vision,  we  shall  comprehend  the  exalted  excel- 
lence of  Virginity,  Apostolic  zeal,  and  Martyrdom. 

*  Eia  milites  Christi,  abjicite  opera  tenebrarum  et  induamini 
arma  lucis.  Acta  S.  Ccecilice. 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  are  the  two  Hymns  in  honor  of 
St.  Cecilia  which  His  Holiness  has  approved  foi 
Liturgical  use* 


DIE   XXII    NOVEMBRIS. 
IN    FESTO 

S.  <LECILI£i  VIRGINIS  ET  MARTYRIS. 


AD  MATUTINUM, 
tiam  ad  Vesperas,  quoties  festum  transferatur. 

HYMNtTS. 

Terrena  cessent  organa, 
Cor  cestuans  CsBcilise 
Coeleste  fundit  canticum, 
Deoque  totum  jubilat 

Dum  nuptiali  nobilis 
Domus  resultat  gaudio ; 
Haeo  sola  tristis  candido 
Geinit  columba  pectore. 

O  Christe  mi  dulcissime, 
Cui  me  sacravit  charitas, 
Serva  pudoris  integram, 
Averte  labem  corpore. 

Ovis  leonem  sedula 

Agnum  facit  mitissimum ; 

Hie  fonte  lotus  mystico 

Coclo  repente  militat.  .  ,. 


402  LIFE    OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 

Solvit  Tiburtium  soror 
Erroris  e  caligine, 
Factoque  fratris  asseclae 
Ad  astra  pandit  semitam. 

Seges  per  illam  plurima 
Superna  replet  horrea : 
Verbo  potens,  fit  particeps 
Apostolorum  gloriae. 

Delapsus  arce  siderum 
Illam  tuetur  Angelus, 
Rosceque  mixtse  liliis 
Ambire  crines  gestiunt. 

Sertum  rubens  et  candidum 
Affertur  una  conjugi, 
Quern  castitatis  semulum 
Co3lestis  ardor  efficit. 

Te  sponse  Jesu,  virginum 
Beata  laudent  agmina 
Patrique  cum  Paraclito 
Par  sit  per  aevum  gloria 
Amen: 


AD  LAUDES. 

HYMNUS. 

Nunc  ad  coronas  pergite, 
Clamat  suis  Caecilia  ; 
Mox  ipsa  Virgo  sistitur 
Ad  judicis  praetorium. 

Minantis  iram  despicit, 
Et  falsa  ridet  numina  ; 
Jam  morte  digna  ducitur 
Puella  culpoe  nescia. 

Inclusa  perstat  balneo, 
Ardent  calore  fornices ; 
Ast  urit  intus  Virginem 
Divinus  ignis  fortior. 


LIFE  OF  SAINT  CECILIA.  403 

Intaminatam  barbarus 
Ter  ense  lictor  percutit ; 
Scelus  tamen  non  perficit, 
Christus  moras  dat  Martyri. 

Horse  supremse  proxima, 
Deo  sacrandas  devovet 
iEdes  avitas,  libera, 
Volatque  ad  Agni  nuptias. 

Salveto,  corpus  Martyris 
Diu  sub  antris  abditum  I 
Nova  refulgens  gloria 
Romae  parents  redderis. 

Ne  fios  tenebris  areat, 
Te  Virgo  servat  virginum  ; 
Rubens  cruoris  purpura, 
Stola  micante  cingeris. 

Dormi  silenti  marmore, 
Dum  sede  laetus  caelica 
Indulget  hymnis  spiritus, 
Votisque  dexter  annuit. 

Te  sponse  Jesu,  virginum 
Beata  laudant  agmina ; 
Patrique  cum  Paraclito 
Par  sit  per  oevum  gloria. 

Amen. 


DECRETUM. 

Ordinis  Sancti  Benedicti  in  Galliis. 

Oertamen  apprime  forte  disposuit  Deus  in  Urbe 
inclyta)  Virgin i  et  Marty ri  sancto  Coecilia3,  quae  dum 
in  Christianas  religionis  proposito  Deo  dovotam  virgi- 
nitatem  saam  siugulari  Angeli  prsesidio  incontami- 


404 


LIFE   OF   SAINT   CECILIA. 


natam  servare  promeruit,  illud  insimul  obtinuit,  ut 
verae  fidei  lumine  collustrati  Valerianus  sponsus  sibi 
datus,  ej usque  frater  Tiburtius,  in  libera  religionis 
ipsius  confessione  ad  mortem  usque  immobiles  per- 
severarent,  et  gloriae  corona  redimiti  coelitum  felicitate 
potirentur,  donee  et  ipsa  Dominum  Regem  Salvatorem 
collaudare  non  desinens,  innumeris  superatis  tor  men- 
tis, iisdem  sociaretur  in  perpetuas  aeternitates  triumph- 
atura.    Sanctae  Caeciliae  cultus  longe  iateque  diffusus, 
quum  in  dies  magis  in  Gallia  inclareat,  praesertim 
penes  alumnos  Ordinis  Sancti  Benedict!  ibi  degentes, 
Eeverendissimus  Pater  Domnus  Prosper  Gu&ranger, 
Abbas  Solesmensis,  constituit  in  divina  Psalmodia 
ejusdem   Sanctae  laudes   ampliori    solemnitate  corn- 
memorari;    ac  proinde  Sanctissimo  Domino  Nostro 
Pio  IX.     Pontifici  Maximo  supplicavit  enixe,  ut  pro 
alumnis  sui  Ordinis  in  Gallia  adprobare  dignaretur 
Hymnos  proprios  in  honorem  sanctae  Caeciliae  Officio 
ipsius   addendos.     Sanctitas  Sua    hujusmodi  preces 
peramanter  excipiens,  referente  me  subscripto  Sacro- 
rum  Rituum  Congregationis  Pro-Secretario,  de  spec- 
iali  gratia  benigne  annuit  juxta  preces,  propositosque 
Hymnos  proprios  Officio  sanctae   Caeciliae  Virginia 
Martyris   a    Benedictinis   in    Gallia    addendos,    uti 
superiore  in  exemplari  adnotantur  adprobavit,  die 
duodecima  Februarii  M  dccc  lii 

A.  card.  LAMBRUSCHINI. 

Locus  Sigilli 

S,  R.  C.  Prcefectus. 

Dom.  Grigli.  S.  R.  C.  Pro-Seer, 


CATHOLIC  BOOKS 


PUBLISHED  BY 


PETER  F.  CUNNINGHAM, 
216  South  Third  Street,  Philadelphia. 


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rii 


lie  Year  of  Mary;  or,  Tlie  True  Servant  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Translated  from  the  French  of  Rev.  M.  D'Arville,  Apostolic  Prothonotary, 
and  published  with  the  approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  and  the  Most  Rev.  Arch~ 
bishop  of  New  York.    1  neat  12mo  volume. 

Price— In  cloth $1.50 

In  gilt  edges 2.00 

This  is  a  delightful  book ;  brimful  of  sweet  flowers ;  a  lovely  garland  in 
honor  of  Mary  our  Mother  and  powerful  intercessor  before  the  throne  of  her 
Son. 

Well  has  the  Magnificat  said,  "all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed;"  all 
times,  and  in  all  lands,  wherever  the  symbol,  upon  which  her  Divine  Son 
ransomed  a  wicked  and  undeserving  world  with  his  excruciating  sufferings  and 
death,  has  a  votary,  her  name,  spotless  and  beautiful,  shall  be  pronounced  with 
reverence,  and  her  protection  implored. 

The  tome  before  us  is  a  collection  of  the  honors  paid  to  Mary  by  the  groat 
and  good  of  all  lands;  by  those  who,  with  the  diadem  of  earthly  grahdeur 
adorning  their  brows,  and  vexed  political  commonwealths  to  guard  and  pacify, 
found  time  to  honor  the  daughter  of  St.  Anne,  the  beloved  Mother  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour. 

Buy  the  book.  Read  one  or  two  pages.  We  promise  a  feast,  a  desire  to  read 
the  whole,  a  determination  to  do  so. — Catholic  Telegraph. 

This  work  is  divided  into  seventy-two  Exorcises,  corresponding  with  the 
number  of  years  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  passed  on  earth,  with  a  consecration 

(3) 


4  Published  by  Peter  F.  Cunningham, 

to  Mary  of  the  twelve  months  of  the  year,  in  reference  to  her  virtues ;  also  a 
method  of  using  certain  of  the  Exercises  by  a  way  of  devotion  for  the  "Month. 
of  Mary,"  a  No  vena  in  honor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and  other  matters 
both  interesting  and  advantageous  to  the  true  servant  of  Mary,  and  those  who 
would  become  *). 

"  Baltimore,  April  6,  1865. 

"We  willingly  unite  with  the  Ordinary  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Metropolitan 
of  New  York  in  approving  'The  Year  of  Mary,'  republished  by  Peter  F.  Cun- 
ningham, of  Philadelphia. 

"M.  J.  SPALDING, 

"Archbishop  of  Baltimore." 

A  work  presented  to  the  Catholics  with  such  recommendations  does  not  need 
any  word  of  encouragement  from  us. — Pilot. 

This  work  meets  a  want  long  ungratified.  The  devotional  Exercises  which 
make  up  the  book  are  ingeuiously  arranged  in  reference,  1st,  to  each  year  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin's  long  residence  on  earth  ;  2d,  to  every  Sunday  and  festival 
throughout  the  year.  The  Exercises  are  therefore  seventy-two  in  number,  cor- 
responding to  the  generally  received  belief  of  the  duration  of  her  terrestrial  life. 

The  First  Exercise  is  thus  appropriated  to  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and 
may  be  used  both  for  the  8th  of  December  and  for  the  first  day  of  the  year. 
The  seventy-second  celebrates  the  Assumption,  and  maybe  profitably  read  on 
the  loch  of  August,  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  year. 

Each  Instruction  is  prefaced  by  a  text  from  holy  writ,  and  followed  by  an 
example,  a  historical  fact,  a  practice  and  a  prayer. 

The  Approbations  are: 

1st.  By  the  Roman  Theological  Censor. 

2d.  By  a  favorable  letter  from  his  Holiness  Gregory  XVI. 

3d.  By  the  recommendatory  signatures  of  the  Archbishops  of  Baltimore  and 
New  York,  and  the  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 

This  Devotional  is  a  deeply  interesting  and  practical  manual,  and  Mrs.  Sadlier, 
who  has  very  skilfully  reduced  the  originally  free  translation  into  graceful  con- 
formity to  the  original,  has  rendered  the  Christian  public  a  most  essential  ser- 
vice.   We  wish  it  the  widest  circulation. — N.  Y.  Tablet. 

"The  Year  of  Mary*'  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  tributes  to  the  Mother  of 
God  that  a  Catholic  family  could  desire  to  have.  We  are  free,  however,  to 
confess  our  partiality  in  noticing  any  book  that  treats  of  the  pre-eminent  glory 
of  her  whom  God  exalted  above  all  created  beings. 

But,  independently  of  this  consideration,  the  present  volume  can  be  recom- 
mended on  its  own  special  merits.  Besides  being  replete  with  spiritual  instruc- 
tion, it  presents  a  detailed  account  of  the  life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  from  the 
Conception  to  the  Assumption,  and  views  her  under  every  possible  aspect,  both, 
as  regards  herself  and  her  relations  with  man.  It  lays  down  the  rules  by 
which  we  are  to  be  guided  in  our  practical  devotions  towards  her ;  displays  its 
genuine  characteristics,  and  indicates  the  sublime  sentiments  by  which  we 
ought  to  be  actuated  when  we  pay  her  our  homage,  or  invoke  her  assistance. 

"The  Year  of  Mary"  contains  seventy-two  Exercises,  in  accordance  with  the 
received  opinion  of  the  Church  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  lived  that  number  of 
years  on  earth.  In  these  instructions,  the  reader  shall  learn  her  life,  her  pre- 
rogatives, her  glory  in  Heaven,  and  her  boundless  goodness  to  mankind.  We 
would  like  to  see  this  book  in  every  Catholic  family  in  the  c  mntry.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  us  to  honor  the  Mother  of  God  sufficiently  well.  But  in  reading  this 
book,  or  any  like  it,  we  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that  acts,  not  mere  professions 
of  piety,  should  be  the  distinctive  marks  of  "the  true  servant  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,"  and  that  she  is  really  honored,  only  in  so  far  as  we  imitate  her  virtues 
for  the  sake  of  Him  through  whom  alone  we  can  hope  for  eternal  life. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Sadlier  is  familiar  to  the  public;  her  talents  as  an  authoress 
are  too  well  known  to  need  any  eulogy  here  ;  she  is  an  accomplished  lady,  and 
has  faithful  y  done  her  part.  As  to  the  publisher,  Mr.  Cunningham,  we  Fay, 
without  flattery,  that  he  has  done  a  good  work  in  presenting  this  excellent 
book  to  his  fellow-Catholics,  and  with  all  our  heart  we  wish  him  the  fullest 
measure  of  success  to  which  this  noble  enterprise  entitles  him.— -The  Monthly. 


216  South  Third  Street,  Philadelphia.        5 

epilations  of  §!•  Ignatius  5  or,  '*  The  Spiri- 
tual Exercises"  expounded; 

By  Father  Siniscalchi,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

Published  with  the  approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 
1  vol.     12mo. 

Price— Neatly  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  back $1.50 

The  fame  of  the  great  founder  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  would  itself  insure  the 
character  of  the  above  book  of  meditations,  as  one  of  the  most  meritorious  kind. 
But  the  greater  part  of  Catholics  of  all  nations  have  been  made  familiar  with 
the  nature,  object,  and  efficiency  of  these  meditations  in  the  Spiritual  Retreats 
conducted  by  tho  Fathers  of  this  Society,  in  every  language,  in  every  ^country, 
and  almost  every  town  of  Christendom.  We  are  glad  to  see  this  valuable  work 
published  in  our  country  and  tongue,  and  feel  assured  it  will  be  heartily 
welcomed  by  the  multitudes  who  are  familiar  with  it,  if  in  no  other  way,  at 
least  from  the  free  use  which  is  made  of  it  in  the  Jesuit  Missions,  forming, 
as  it  does,  the  basis  of  all  those  inspiriting  exercises  which  constitute  a 
spiritual  retreat. — Catholic  Mirror. 

This  is  the  first  American  edition  of  this  celebrated  work,  which  has  been 
translated  into  nearly  all  tho  European  languages.  It  supplies  a  want  long 
felt  in  America.  It  is  an  excellent  book  of  Meditations  for  the  family,  but  it  is 
particularly  adapted  for  those  attending  Retreats  or  Missions,  especially  those 
given  by  the  Jesuits,  whose  method  this  is.  We  cannot  too  strongly  recommeud 
this  book  to  the  Catholic  public. — N&.&  York  Tabtet. 

This  is  a  timely  publication  of  the  Meditations  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  the  Catholic 
community  are  indebted  to  the  Philadelphia  publisher  for  bringing  the  work 
within  their  reach.  In  Europe,  where  it  is  well  known,  it  would  be  superfluous 
to  do  more  than  call  attention  to  the  fact  of  a  new  edition  being  published  ;  but 
inasmuch  as  American  Catholics  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  becoming  very 
familiar  with  the  work,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  a  few  words  concern- 
ing it. 

The  Meditations  are  twenty-two  in  number,  each  divided  into  three  parts,  and 
in  each  division  the  subject  is  viewed,  as  it  were,  from  a  different  point  of  view, 
the  last  being  always  the  most  striking.  Death,  Judgment,  Hell,  and  Heaven, 
the  Mysteries  of  the  Saviour's  Life,  and  the  Happiness  of  Divine  Love — these 
are  the  subjects  of  the  Saint's  meditations,  and  every  consideration  germain  to 
such  topics  calculated  to  excite  the  feelings  or  influence  the  judgment,  is  brought 
before  the  reader  in  simple,  forcible  language,  or  impressed  on  the  mind  by 
means  of  a  striking  anecdote  or  opposite  illustration.  The  volume  is  thickly 
strewn  with  quotations  from  sacred  and  patritic  writings,  and  the  whole  range 
of  profane  history  is  laid  under  contribution  to  furnish  material  wherewith  to 
point  a  moral  or  enforce  a  truth. 

No  Catholic  family  should  be  without  this  book,  and  no  Catholic  library 
should  be  depending  on  one  copy.  It  is  a  noble  edition  to  the  ever-increasing 
stock  of  Catholic  devotional  literature,  and  we  hope  tho  publisher's  judicious 
venture  will  be  successful.  We  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  the  publication 
has  received  the  official  sanction  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. — 
Metropolitan  Record. 

k!?acerdos    Sancfificatug ;    or,    Discourses    on 
the  Mass  and  Office, 

With  a  Preparation  and  Thanksgiving  before  and   after  Mass  for  every 
day  in  tho  week      Translated  from  the  Italian  of  St.  Alphousus  Ligouri, 

By  the  Rev.  James  Jones. 
1  vol.  18mo. 

trice— Neatly  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  edgcj $1.00 


6  Published  by  Peter  F.  Cunningham, 

I.  lie  Life  of  St.  Cecilia, 

Virgin  and  Martyr. 

Translated  from  the  French  of  Father  Guerauger,  and  published  with  the 
approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 
1  vol.     12mo. 

Price— In  cloth $1.50 

In  cloth,  gilt  edge 2.00 


T 


L, 


T 


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he  Ufe  of  St.  Teresa. 

Written  by  herself. 

Translated  from  the  Spanish,  by  Rev.  Canon  Dalton,  and  published  with 
the  approbation  of  the  RigJU  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia.  1  vol. 
12mo.,  neatly  bound  in  cloth. 

j/rice— In  cloth $1.50 

In  cloth,  gilt  edge 2.00 

lie  Life  of  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna. 

By  Blessed  Baymond  of  Capua,  her  Confessor. 

Translated  from  the  French,  by  the  Ladies  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  With 
the  approbation  of  the  RigJU  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia.  1  vol. 
12mo.,  neatly  bound  in  cloth. 

Price— In  cloth $1.50 

In  cloth,  gilt  edge 2.00 

ife  of  St.  Margaret  of  Cortona. 

Translated  from  the  Italian,  by  John  Gilmary  Shea,  and  published  with 
the  approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia.  1  vol.  16mo., 
neatly  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  backs. 

Price 80  cents. 

lie   Life   of  St.  Angela    Merici    of  Brescia, 
Foundress  of  the  Order  of  St.  Ursula. 

By  the  Abby  Parenty. 

With  a  History  of  the  Order  in  Ireland,  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
by  John  Gilmary  Shea.  Published  with  the  approbation  of  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia.    1  vol.     IGmo.,  cloth,  gilt  back. 

Price '. 80  cents. 

lie    Life   of  Blessed    Mary    Ann    of   Jesus, 

de  Parades  y  Flores.     "The  Lily  of  Quito." 
By  Father  Joseph  Boero,  S.  J. 

Translated  from  tho  Italian  by  a  Father  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  pub- 
lished with  the  approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Philadelphia. 
1  vol.     lbmo.,  neatly  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  back. 

Price 80  cents. 


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